Dangerous Curves
by phatbasset
Summary: Elizabeth Bennet comes to town after a long absence. From their initial meeting on, William Darcy finds her more and more mysterious. Will Elizabeth be able to do what she has come to without alerting William to her real intentions? Chapter 9 now fixed
1. Default Chapter

**Chapter One**

In the fading light of the setting winter sun, William Darcy sat at the desk of his spacious corner office, head leaned forward, fingers massaging his temples, praying for the phone to ring and bring some excuse to back out of his plans for the evening. Minutes passed, no saving ring came, and his eyes were torturously drawn back to his leather bound appointment book, where he read again the inscription for that evening.

Friday, eight p.m., Desani's. Damn.

He had just that afternoon confided in Charles that he finally had a break in his contract negotiations with a leading Russian oil refinery. It was his hope to jump into the fast growing Russian oil market and bring D and F Utilities to Eastern Europe, thus pumping some much needed money into the struggling Russian economy while getting on the ground floor of a hopefully very lucrative side venture. So far, it was a nightmare dealing with all the red tape and various ministers of various departments who each needed their own contracts and "fees paid for services rendered". Just this week his staff had finished the last round of contract rewrites and he had a good three days of peace and quiet while the Russians looked over his newest offerings before it all started again. He was really looking forward to the time off. How stupid of him to tell Charles he was free. Now he was roped into an evening of pretentious cuisine and Caroline Bingley. Oh joy, oh bliss.

Desani's, exclusivism at its finest, featured a chic menu of the haute-cuisine of the moment; tapas. And Caroline Bingley loved nothing as much as she loved the word exclusive. Charles had invited William to dinner tonight to celebrate the illustrious return of the grand dame herself from her month long vacation in some tropical clime. She had requested that Charles and his wife of three years, Jane, meet her at Desani's for dinner and to catch up on old times. And wouldn't Charles be a dear and invite sweet William to round out the party, hmmm? So, call he did, knowing that William was too much of a gentleman to decline. And so he was, and here he sat, praying to the great phone god to save his eternal soul from the fiery hell of Caroline Bingley's attentions.

Nothing.

Damn.

Eight fifteen found the group of four intimately situated around the best table in the house, overlooking a room that screamed ATMOSPHERE with Fosse hands. William looked over the rim of his glass of scotch at Charles and his beautiful wife. That man had luck in his genes. Happily married to an intelligent woman very much in love with him, successful in business thanks as much to who he knew as to what he knew, and in possession of a best friend on whom to throw his harpie-like sister when she became a nuisance. Trouble rolled off Charles Bingley's back like water from a duck's. It must have been passed down from his great great grandfather, Bingley McShamus, who began his early adult life in the custody of Inveraray Jail in Scotland for having a bit of trouble with sticky fingers. After a month of incarceration, McShamus decided that he wanted a fresh start. And so, with a spoon and a bit of elbow grease, three weeks later he found himself free and on a boat to America. Ellis Island greeted him as a new man, Shawn Bingley. Finding employment at a leather goods shop, he put his back into his work and within three years had a shop of his own. After five years he was proud owner of three more shops. Now, after more than one hundred years, the Bingley family owned the largest chain of specialty imports in the country. Shawn's original leather goods shops had been expanded by his son to include specialty items, and each son there after had added to the inventory and franchise until it encompassed the entire nation. Charles himself, after taking over for his father eight years ago, had signed a deal to have a Bingley's Emporium in every upscale shopping center in the country. His business had tripled over the last five years. At the age of thirty he was one of the richest men in the country.

"William, Charles tells me you have been working far too hard. You must clear your schedule for a few days and let me pamper you a bit. You look positively worn." Caroline's simpering broke through William's reverie. A noncommittal smile was all the answer Caroline received. But she was not one to be put off. Her mouth opened again to pressure him for some sort of commitment, when the chirping of a cell phone cut her off. Caroline's disapproving eyes hovered on Jane's sheepish face, as she reached into her purse to retrieve the offending object. "Sorry." Jane turned her shoulder away from the group and answered the call.

"Hello, Jane Bingley."

"Janeybird."

Jane gasped, loudly. "Lizzy?"

"Yes, its me. Alive and kicking."

Tears instantly welled up in Jane's eyes and she had to choke back the sobs "Oh, Oh!" was all she could get out.

"Where are you right now, Janie?"

"I'm at Desani's," she squeaked.

"Okay," was the reply followed by a click.

"Hello, hello, Lizzy!" Jane was frantic. She turned her troubled eyes to Charles who gleaned some of what happened from her end of the conversation.

"Lizzy?"

"Yes, but she's gone. I'll wait a minute to see if she calls back."

Charles explained to William and Caroline that Jane had not heard from her sister in three years, because of the nature of Elizabeth Bennet's job.

"What does she do, Jane?" William enquired politely. Jane's distraction was evident, and after a few hems and haws Charles answered for her. "We really aren't sure. Something with computers." William was a bit shocked that her own sister wouldn't know what she did for a living, and Caroline could barely feign interest in the topic at hand. That was until two minutes later when Jane was accosted by a mop of sable curls piled on top of a heavy wool coat and thick knitted scarf. If Jane could have squealed with delight, she would have, but her voice left her in a wash of tears.

"Oh, God, Lizzy! OH, God!"

"Its okay, Jane. I'm here, I'm alright. I'm here for awhile this time."

Jane pulled back from their fierce embrace to look at her prodigal sister. "Really?"

"Yes, here for a few months at least. This is it." Elizabeth look earnestly at Jane trying to convey the message to her that their time together was precious.

"This is it? The last of it?" Jane whispered.

"Yes, the end. But, another time for all that, alright? Right now, I'd like to meet your husband, please."

Jane smiled and proudly introduced the two people she loved most in the world to each other. Charles threw propriety to the winds and grabbed Elizabeth up in a bear hug.

"Welcome home, Elizabeth."

"I'm glad to finally meet the man that makes my sister happy."

"And I'm glad to finally have the hole in her heart filled. You've been greatly missed."

"Thank you, the feeling is shared, let me assure you."

William coughed softly to remind the mutual admiration society that other people existed at the table. Jane made the appropriate introductions, and Elizabeth greeted William and Caroline with a polite smile and "how do you do", but her heart wasn't in it. She was too wrapped up in seeing her sister after so long an absence. After a few more minutes of pleasantries, Elizabeth made motions to leave, stating she had to go to her new apartment and see if she was in need of anything for the night, and most of all to clean up after the excruciatingly long flight. She set her purse on the table and took out a pen and paper to scribble down her new address for Jane. They made plans to see each other the next morning, and Elizabeth made her excuses and left. Jane promptly excused herself to the restroom to put her face back together after the tearful reunion.

"Well, you definitely got the best out of that gene pool, Charles." Caroline's voice dripped acerbically.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Charles bristled.

"It means that your sister-in-law looks a bit like Sasquatch. Maybe she's been in the wilderness for the last three years."

"All I care is that Jane's happy. She can look like Medusa for all I care."

Not far off, don't you agree, William."

"I'm not really sure, it was hard to get a good look at her. I'm more concerned that she's been gone for three years with no contact. Seems a bit shady to me. You don't know where she's been, you don't know what she does for a living. She could be in all kinds of trouble, and just here looking for a free handout. Watch out for her, Charles."

"William, I promise its nothing like that."

"Just be mindful, okay, she sounds unreliable to me. I'm not impressed."

"From all Jane has told me she really is quite remarkable. I think you'd like her if you gave her a chance. I'm sure I'm going to like her immensely."

"I think I'll take a pass."

The two men's eyes turned at a low chuckle coming from behind them. Elizabeth stood there, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I've forgotten my purse. Would you mind, Charles?" He handed it to her, his faced blanched with the thought that she had heard William's harsh criticisms. She thanked him and patted his arm, not bothering to give Mr. Darcy a second glance, and left the same way she had come in.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Elizabeth opened her eyes to a strange room and took mental inventory of her surroundings. Dresser to her left, door to her right, bed in front. She let out a deep sigh. She was in her new apartment, and she was alright. Hoisting herself from her sitting position on the floor, she placed her gun on the dresser. Her eyes stared longingly at the bed, while she stretched her aching muscles. Soon, she promised herself, she would actually spend the whole night in it.

It took a few minutes to adjust herself to her new surroundings. Villanova had set up the apartment for her while she was en route. Fully furnished and stocked with necessities, Elizabeth felt relieved that it was one more detail she did not have to worry about. She jumped into the shower, getting herself ready for her ten o'clock appointment with Jane. They had decided to meet at Jane's office, feeling it was the best place for them to have uninterrupted time together. She looked forward to it, and dreaded it at the same time. Jane was going to want to know what happened, and Elizabeth really wasn't ready to talk about it yet. There was little over the years that she had not told Jane, and she felt an intense guilt over it. She was scared she had jeopardized her sister's safety with the information she shared. Jane had always reassured her, insisting that even if she knew nothing, anyone who would seek to use her as a pawn would never believe it anyway. Jane refused to let Elizabeth carry the burden of her career alone, saying that she would never have the courage to do the things Elizabeth did, but she would do all in her power to help her keep it together. And Elizabeth loved her for it.

It was 9:45 when Elizabeth pulled into the parking lot of Jane's office. A quaint, stone building in the residential area of town, it reminded one of an English cottage. The interior was just as pleasing, comfortably appointed with soothing colors and overstuffed furniture. Just like Jane, the whole place had a way of putting a person at ease. Elizabeth loved it here. When Jane had decided to major in psychology so many years ago, Elizabeth had been skeptical. She had always thought that Jane would make a good teacher. But once Jane finished her degree and set up her office as a grief counselor, Elizabeth knew she couldn't have chosen better.

"Lizzybear!" Jane greeted Elizabeth at the door. Janeybird and Lizzybear. Thomas Bennet had affectionately called his girls these names from infancy. Elizabeth thought of her father warmly as she greeted her sister. Their father was an amazing man. It was from him that Jane inherited her interest in studying people. And it was from him that Elizabeth had inherited her current profession. Shaking her head, Elizabeth snapped out of her reverie and followed Jane through the door.

The office was closed to clients that day, as it was Saturday, so Jane and Elizabeth had the place to themselves. Jane had made coffee, and they each grabbed a cup and took up their favorite spots; Jane on the toile sofa and Elizabeth on the window seat. They smiled at each other affectionately, content for just a moment to be with each other again.

"I'm sorry I missed your wedding."

"Me, too."

"I'm sure it was lovely. I can't wait to see the pictures."

"It was wonderful, with one glaring exception."

Elizabeth curled her legs under her and lowered her eyes. "I was in a Turkish prison."

Jane's eyes widened in shock. "For three years?"

"For two years, four months, and three days."

"How?"

"Yushenkov thought it would be funny."

"Yushenkov?"

"Yes, it seems he set up an elaborate rouse to get me out of the way for awhile."

"Lizzy, my head is spinning. This makes no sense."

"Alright, I'll start from the top. I got an assignment to follow an arms shipment from Novosibirsk to Ankara, and we were sure it was Yushenkov's. So I did prep work for three weeks, setting up contacts and putting Manny, Moe and Jack in place before I even entered the country. That was the last time I called you."

"Yes, I remember. You said you would be unreachable for a few months. I was frantic when it became years Elizabeth."

"I know. I'm so sorry. You know that if it could have been any other way, it would have been."

"I thought you were dead, Lizzy."

"There were times I wish I were."

Jane's eyes welled with tears as she saw a chink in Elizabeth's usual armor. An admission of fear. She sat in silence, letting Lizzy set her own pace for the rest of the story, because she knew it was going to be bad.

"So, I go in with journalist credentials, saying I'm doing a piece on Turkish cuisine. You know, nothing threatening or note worthy. And about three days in we get our first hit. The shipment had been spotted en route, and from all reports, Yushenkov was going to see the deal through personally."

"No!"

"Yes. It was then that I started smelling a rat. He never gave the personal touch. No one has ever seen him. So, I let the boys and Villanova know that I thought the whole thing was bad. Villanova agreed and told the boys to pull out, but let me stay on for a few more days, just to be sure. Eight years, Jane. That's a long time to hunt one guy. I wasn't about to let him get away, if there was any chance he was going to be there."

"You got greedy, Lizzy."

Elizabeth rubbed her eyes, "Yeah."

"And he knew you would."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, digesting the pain in that particular truth.

"So, the day after the boys left, I was arrested on suspicion of espionage. And I guess they didn't need a trial, because I never got one, never met with a lawyer. They threw me in..."

Elizabeth shuddered and stopped. She couldn't tell Jane this part. She couldn't even remind herself of this part. It was enough that she slept with a gun in her hand and her back in a corner every night. No, she wasn't going to pick this particular scab just yet, and Jane sensed that she shouldn't press her.

"He must have had some contacts in high places in Ankara," Elizabeth continued. "It took Villanova over two years to find me and get me out of there. Then they put me up at Quantico for the debrief. That's always a joy."

Elizabeth sipped her coffee and collected her thoughts. A base full of Marines and she still hadn't felt safe. They had kept her there for almost eight months, running psychiatric fitness tests. There was a huge debate over whether or not she should be retired. Villanova had sent Elizabeth's handler in for most of the exams. He felt she could continue on, but that she was going to need to be watched closely.

"I found out later, that the shipment had actually been spotted, but after my arrest, it had been diverted to Syria. I'm sure that was his plan all along."

"I'm sorry, Lizzy. I'm so sorry for what happened to you." Jane rose to hug her sister, wishing she could wipe away the pain. For the first time in a long time, Jane was really scared for Elizabeth. Not for her safety this time, Jane had always been worried for Elizabeth's safety since she joined the Agency, but for her mental health. Elizabeth was right, eight years was long time to hunt one man. Jane had seen Elizabeth's need to bring Yushenkov to justice go from a job to an obsession.

"Lizzy, you said something last night about this being the end."

"Yushenkov is gunning for Darcy."

Jane gasped. A Pandora's box of phenomenal proportions had just been opened with those five words. Yushenkov, Russian mob boss, was after William Darcy, best friend of her husband. This was all hitting too close to home.

"Lizzy, they have to pull you off. They can't use you for this, you are too closely related to the situation."

"That's exactly why they are using me, Jane." Elizabeth's voice was soft, hoping that Jane would not make the next leap in logic, but knowing that she would.

"Because of Charles... and me." Elizabeth nodded.

"Darcy is in the middle of contract negotiations with Ambassador Solensky, to set up an oil refinery in Ivanovo. He's a little overwhelmed, and his cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam, has been pushing him to take on an assistant. Darcy is fighting it. He doesn't want to have to train someone right in the middle of all this, but Richard is adamant. They need someone close to Darcy to protect him from Yushenkov. So, Richard sent me a dossier on Darcy when I was cleared to return. I've been studying up on him and his company. The thought is that Richard will hand in a resume for me that will blow Darcy's socks off, and, with my prior knowledge of what's going on and my ability to speak fluent Russian..."

"You'll get the job. But I think I missed something. How do you know Richard? I've never even met him."

"There's a reason for that, Jane. He's my handler."

"I need a drink." Jane paled at this newest revelation. It was all starting to make sense. Richard Fitzwilliam was head of security and equal partner of D and F Utilities. His closeness to Darcy and Elizabeth's knowledge of Yushenkov made this a perfect setup. Darcy's affection for Charles and Jane would increase the chances of him employing Elizabeth. And with Richard's trumped up resume and personal stamp of approval, it was all but in the bag. Darcy would be so distracted with the negotiations that he would not notice anything amiss.

"This is insanity. You can't be ready to do this yet, Lizzy. You are still recovering from Turkey, and they set you up for a job you should never do when you are whole. You are personally involved here. What are they thinking? They are trying to kill you!" Jane's words flowed as quickly as her tears. Her body was wracked with sobs as the anger and hurt she had suppressed for years broke to the surface. She was angry at Lizzy, because she didn't know when to stop. She was angry at the Agency, because they would use Lizzy until she cracked, then toss her away like so much damaged goods. She was angry at her father, who had filled Lizzy's head from childhood with stories of his exploits abroad, of good versus evil. He had pushed her through martial arts classes when she should have been playing with dolls, taught her to shoot guns when she should have been riding bikes. He had all but forced Lizzy to become an agent. But mostly, Jane was angry at herself. Lizzy's job had never seemed real, not truly. Just wispy tales that Lizzy would spin, like their father's bedtime stories when they were young. And Jane had always told herself she was helping by being Lizzy's confidant, helping her carry the burden. She saw now it was crap. She had been deluding herself all these years. She had been no help to her sister, she had just been caught up in the intrigue of it all. And now that Lizzy needed real help, Jane was powerless to do anything. If she had been paying more attention, she would have seen long ago that Elizabeth was forming an unhealthy obsession for Yushenkov. Every mission for the last eight years had been related to Yushenkov in some way. And Jane knew her sister well enough to know that the time she spent in confinement in Turkey was filled with dreams and strategies of his capture.

Elizabeth rose from the window seat at the first signs of Jane's distress, but her attempts to comfort her were rebuffed.

"No! NO! I will not help lead you to your death. I will not sit here and watch you eaten alive by this job. Elizabeth you have to stop now. If he doesn't kill you, this whole thing will break your mind. You have to stop!"

"Jane, please.."

"NO! I've kept my mouth shut for way too long. You cannot bring this here, Lizzy. You put us all in danger. Enough is enough. Let someone else deal with Yushenkov."

"You act as though I have some choice, Jane. You seem to forget that I am owned. I have no say in this. I have no choice. And just who are they going to get at the last minute to fill in for me, huh? This isn't some desk job that can be done by any old girl from the typing pool."

"Why can't Richard do it?"

"Because Richard was a paper pusher, just like Dad. He's a retired analyst, he has never been in the field. Villanova asked him to come in to handle me as a personal favor, because he had been familiar with Yushenkov's area of operations before he retired."

Jane struggled to push down her overwrought emotions. Lizzy was right, of course. In the aftermath of her small breakdown, Jane saw that there was truly nothing she or Lizzy could do to change things. She took a deep, cleansing breath and looked her sister hard in the eye.

"Alright. We do this together, then. You can't do this alone, not this time. You tell me everything, every fear, every worry, every stress. Got it? And if you need me for anything else, same thing applies."

Lizzy was deeply touched by Jane's display of strength. She nodded her head in agreement, her voice momentarily choked off by tears.

"Alright, then. Enough of this. Let's go shopping. I'm going to need some suitable office attire."

The girls left the office, content to pretend for a few hours that life was normal and all was well.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

The whole shopping experience was a disappointment for Jane. Elizabeth chose only loose fitting pants and jackets with neutral dress shirts, and shoes without heels. Jane tried to tell her that with her exceptional figure, she should mix in a skirt or two. Maybe a little color? All met with a resounding "No." Fitted clothes would show concealed weapons, heels would be an impediment if she needed to spring into action, and a skirt would only bring her unwanted attention. Her desire right now was to blend in and be as inconspicuous as possible.

"You are going to be the executive assistant to a man who has never needed one, Lizzy. Everyone is going to be watching you whether you like it or not."

"True, but let them be bored to tears." Elizabeth's eyes twinkled with mischief. She was looking forward to this. For a few hours a day she was going to experience life as it could have been. And even though the rest of her time would be devoted to the dark and vague chaos that was her usual work, she would have those few hours of normalcy to help see her through. That and the fact that Richard would be there personally to oversee her, not some thousands of miles away, keeping tabs on her via computer and phone. And Jane. If nothing else went right, at least she will have spent these last few months with her sister before she retired into obscurity.

Dinner that evening was an intimate affair at the Bingley's gorgeous lakeside mansion. Elizabeth was amazed with the way Jane was able to make such a large house look like a warm, welcoming home instead of the austere museum that the outer façade promised. As Caroline was out for the evening, and all pretense of formality went out with her, they decided to dine at the bar in the kitchen. Elizabeth and Charles took full advantage of the opportunity to become fast friends as Jane cooked. They all laughed at each other's childhood stories. They shared interests and ideas. It was an overall success, and Elizabeth left that evening with warm feelings as well as leftovers.

The early morning rays met Elizabeth in her usual spot, dresser to the left, door to the right, bed in front. She rose and placed the gun once again on the dresser. Bypassing the shower, she went straight for the coffee, as she had dedicated the whole of the day to the review of Darcy's file and preparation for tomorrow's interview. Cup firmly in hand and phone disconnected from the outlet, she settled herself at the table and cracked open the thick file. How odd that such a small thing as a file folder could hold all there was to know of the life of one man. It held the story of his childhood upstate, of private boarding schools, European trips, the name of his first crush. His school transcripts were exceptional, but it was obvious that after the loss of his mother at the age of twelve, his cure for grief was to throw himself into his work. He graduated by age sixteen, with honors and as valedictorian of his class. Elizabeth smiled faintly. She too had graduated at sixteen, was also valedictorian of her class. Moving on through his file, she passed through his college years fairly quickly. He had met Charles during this time, been part of a well respected fraternity, and graduated with all the expected honors and accolades. At twenty-one he was just entering the family business when it all fell heavily on his shoulders with the passing of his father. This sad event also saddled him with the guardianship of his nine year old sister, Georgiana. Well, joint guardianship. Richard held the other half of that particular responsibility. And, retiring early from his career as an intelligence officer, Richard did all he could to help William through his blackest hours. Thus the forming of D and F Industries from the original Darcy, Inc. William and Richard tackled the family business head on, together. They bought and sold businesses, created new industry in struggling countries, funded charities. They were an imposing juggernaut in the business arena, with William at the helm and Richard heading security.

And so it went in a steady flow until six years ago, when Georgiana was killed in a horrible car wreck. Some mystery surrounded the whole incident. It seemed a childhood acquaintance by the name of George Wickham had been driving at the time, and had also died in the crash. But why they were together in the first place was a puzzle. Wickham had not been heard from for a couple of years, and to be found in the wreckage with a very much underage girl, family friend or not, raised some very uncomfortable questions. There was no more information about the incident in the file, but from the expansion of the business from the time of the crash until now, it was evident that William was in serious pain. He was drowning in the fury of new business he was creating. One such endeavor being the impetus for her being involved; his desire to expand into Russian soil. Obviously he had pissed off some pretty dangerous people, or Yushenkov would not be looking to ventilate William's brain pan. But, luckily, he was oblivious to these threats right now. His whole being was thrown into contract negotiation after contract negotiation. Elizabeth was truly shocked he had not collapsed under the strain. The race was on to see who would kill him first, Yushenkov or himself. Drawing out a photograph from the mass of papers before her, she traced a finger over the outline of his face. "Hang in there, doll," she whispered. "The cavalry's coming."


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Monday. Same morning ritual. The following evening, Elizabeth had worked out what she would wear and how she would do her hair so her morning would be as stress free as possible. This was a better decision than she had originally thought, as she quickly found out that she was not going to be able to hide her gun under any of her new suits, loose fitting or no. Digging through her little black bag, she found a throwing knife she could wear at the small of her back, secured by the waist band of her pants. Since it was cold outside she could get away with wearing a blazer all the time, so the pearl inlaid handle would never show. But it wasn't enough. She needed something a little more handy in case of an emergency. She made her final decision as she did her hair. Smoothing her dark mass of curls, and twisting them into a large figure eight at the back of her head, she secured the mass with two steel pins, each with an intricately carved scroll work winding around its circumference and a dangerously sharp tip. Function and beauty, she smiled at her reflection. A few touches of blush and a bit of eyeliner and she was ready. She grabbed her overcoat and scarf and headed out for her nine a.m. meeting with Richard and William. Strike that. Mr. Darcy.

The Regency Building stood before her, some fifteen minutes later, like an imposing monster of glass and steel. Story upon story flew from the pavement in reflective succession, making her crane her neck to see the top. Elizabeth stepped through the front doors and into the very clean, very minimalist lobby. No fuss, no muss. She approached the front desk and stated her business. The receptionist greeted her with the perfect amount of politeness, and buzzed Richard's office to announce Elizabeth's arrival.

"You may go up, Ms. Bennet. Sixteenth floor."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth soaked up her surroundings, becoming one with her environment. It was obvious he required crisp professionalism, and on her elevator ride to the top floor she took on that identity, setting her shoulders and chin just so, and assuming an air of "all business". She had arrived at the building a blank canvas, as she always did when starting a new mission. But the Elizabeth who stepped from the elevator onto the sixteenth floor was the no-nonsense executive assistant for one of the most powerful men in the country.

Another secretary greeted her as she stepped off the elevator and directed her to Richard's office. She tapped lightly on his closed door.

"Come in. Ah, Ms. Bennet. Please, come in and close the door."

Two seconds after the door closed, Elizabeth found the breath squeezed out of her by Richard's tight embrace.

"Lizzy! We've got about five seconds before we have to go see the big guy. Its so good to see you, you look good, you look the part. Well, done, good choice. Okay, are you ready? Damn, I've missed you. You sure you're ready? Okay, we can do this, together. I've got your back. Okay."

Elizabeth broke character and raised a wicked eyebrow at her old friend.

"Richard, take a breath, you're more nervous than I am. And you can let me go now. I don't want to have to put a call in to Petra and tell her where your hands have been." Her low chuckle eased some of his tension as he stepped back. He was so damn uptight about this whole thing. He was worried William would see right through him. He never got nervous, what the hell was this? Was he starting to crack? What was he, some wet-behind-the-ears rookie?

Elizabeth say Richard's eyes glaze over with pre-game jitters. She had been so wrapped up in her own worries, she had failed to think of how all this might be affecting him. She put a comforting hand on his arm, looked him firmly in the eye, and said, "You leave your balls in your mommy's purse again, Richard?" A hundred yards from the entrance of the Regency Building, inside an unmarked white van parked on the curb, three very large marines burst out in riotous laughter. So did Richard, and his wave of fear subsided.

"All right, tough guy, let's do this," Richard laughed. Pulling themselves together they exited the office and headed down the hall.

Elizabeth and Richard stood in front of the double oak doors of William's office, speaking in hushed tones.

"I've met him already, Richard. At a restaurant downtown on Friday night. I had to see Jane, and he was there, too. He doesn't like me. This may be harder than we had originally planned."

Richard nodded, taking this new information in. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing other than 'hello, nice to meet you'. I didn't want to influence this meeting in any way. But it seems that he is pretty put off by my three year absence. He thinks I'm in trouble of some sort and have come back looking for a handout."

Again, Richard nodded. "As of right now, he doesn't know its you he's meeting. Just that you are an old friend of mine and come highly recommended. Let's just touch on the highlights of Turkey, and only if we have to. With that and me vouching for your integrity, we should be set."

Elizabeth took a breath and nodded.

"Okay, I'll go in first, and see if he's ready."

As Richard entered the office, William looked up from the piles of papers and files on his desk.

"Good morning, Richard."

"Morning, Will. Our ten o'clock is here. You ready?"

"Yes, but let's keep this short and sweet, okay? I have a conference call in fifteen minutes. You've filled her in already, and the sooner she can start the better. This is all just formality."

"Sounds good."

William rose from his desk as Richard opened the door and ushered Elizabeth in.

"William, meet Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, this is William Darcy."

William froze. His brow creased, his gaze darkened, his jaw set.

"I don't have time for games, Richard."

Richard was speechless. He looked from Elizabeth to Will and back again. In the van, a collective "Oh, shit" was whispered into the ether.

"Richard, maybe it would be best if Mr. Darcy and I had a word or two alone for a moment. It seems we've started off on the wrong foot."

"Take her with you."

"Will, what's the matter with you? This is my friend, Elizabeth. I've told you about her. We had this all settled."

"I refuse to employ the prodigal sister of my best friend's wife. A woman who can't even pick up a phone for three years to let people know she's alive."

"Will, its not like that…"

Richard and Elizabeth had frozen in place just inside the door, chilled by his reaction. William strode several steps closer, his words and gaze directed at Elizabeth.

"What is it about you that has everyone so fooled. They all blindly defend your irresponsible behavior. Well, not I. You've been off traipsing around for three years, and now you need a job, is that it? If you thought that I would be an easy target just because you are Jane's sister, you were dead wrong. Get her out of here, Richard."

The three marines looked at each other in disbelief.

"Manny, she's gonna blow."

"No, she's fine, Moe. Relax."

"Yeah, but Manny, if he keeps going off about Turkey, she's gonna lose it," Jack protested.

"Guys, cool it. The boss is a pro. She can handle this joker with her hands tied behind her back."

Moe and Jack silently returned to their surveillance, glad the boss had sent them in yesterday to set up audio and video bugs throughout the building.

"Richard," Elizabeth's voice ground through clenched teeth, "please give Mr. Darcy and I a moment alone. I think we have a few things that need to be cleared up… in private."

Richard bowed out of the room quickly before William could say another word. His head was spinning with the violence of William's reaction. Holy crap, had this gone monumentally wrong. He quickly returned to his office to tap into the feed that the boys had set up. That way, if Elizabeth got into any real trouble he could jump in and get her out of there.

Elizabeth reigned herself in and spoke first, hoping to calm William down before this whole thing was completely lost.

"Mr. Darcy, it seems that you have some bad information about me. I'm not the type of woman to lose contact with her family several years and then pop back up, unannounced for no good…." As the words came out of her mouth, realization hit her right between the eyes. The prodigal, come home after several missing years to take away the last of his immediate family. Wickham. No wonder he was so riled up. It was then that Elizabeth knew she had to take a different tactic with him if there was any hope of salvaging this.

"Okay. Please, let's sit down a minute and discuss this. If not for the hope of me walking out of here with a job, then for the fact that we have Charles and Jane in common."

William contemplated this for a moment, then walked around his desk to his chair. He was a bit relieved to have the desk between them suddenly.

Elizabeth also sat down, in the chair in front of his desk. She hadn't had a chance to look around the office yet, in all the madness that had just happened. She did so now, giving them each a moment to cool off. It was well appointed, with leather chairs and sofas, mahogany desks and bookcases. The art was tasteful, the smattering of decorations refined.

"You have a very nice office."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I am not a jerk."

William was taken aback by the forwardness of her statement. He looked at her, taking her all in for the first time. Or what he could of her. She seemed to be hiding in her outfit, with no real way to make out her shape. And he thought her hair had been curly, but here it was pulled taught and straight. Her face she had left plain, not much make-up. He had never seen anyone try so hard to be so invisible. What was her story? He locked eyes with her or a moment, thinking maybe he could read something of her in them. It was the last rational thing he remembered thinking for several heartbeats. He was trapped in the swirling color of her irises. They were almost… silver. Silver eyes tinged with blue. A very light blue. He couldn't seem to make out just what color they really were, but silver was as close as he could get. An amazing color, and the thickness of her dark lashes only added to the whole effect. He leaned forward just a bit, trying to identify the other elusive flecks of color floating in her eyes.

"… a chance, you will see that I can do the job just as Richard told you. Mr. Darcy?"

William jerked back to earth. This woman threw him completely off balance. Every reaction he had to her was intense. His anger had been irrational, and all because of a similarity to a painful past that had nothing to do with her. And now he was playing the love-struck adolescent, staring into her eyes like a fool. He wanted her away from him, now. She scared him. He wanted her next to him, forever. She enchanted him.

"Three month trial period, Ms. Bennet. Its all I the time I should need to finish this deal. Then, if I am satisfied with your work at the end of that time, we can discuss a more permanent arrangement." He could sort himself out in three months. That was more than enough time to break him of this infatuation.

"Thank you, sir." Elizabeth, Richard and the boys all sighed in relief. What a ride that had been.

"I will have Richard show you to your office and get you started. I have a conference call in two minutes. After that, I will stop by and show you the agenda for today, and we can go from there."

"Yes, sir." Elizabeth rose to leave.

"Ms. Bennet. I overreacted. The strain of this deal has been taking its toll on me. I apologize. Richard trusts you, and I trust Richard. I am willing to go on that. But I hope that someday, you would consider telling me what happened to keep you away for three years."

Elizabeth nodded silently, not wanting to tempt fate by saying anymore right now. She rose from the chair and left the room, breathing out another deep sigh as she closed the door behind her.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

The next two weeks flew by, as Elizabeth found her rhythm. Her days were filled with meetings, conference calls, and working lunches. Her evenings were filled with updates from her boys and late night workouts.

William found her ability to adapt quickly a great relief. He had insisted that she be at his side constantly, believing that like learning a language, total emersion was the only way for her to learn this job. And, without really realizing it, he began to depend on her. If he needed anything, she was there with it in hand almost before he asked. If he had a problem, she would invariably have the solution. So quickly had they adapted to one another, it was as if they had always been a team. His stress level was decreasing daily. His step had a bit more spring and a bit less drag.

For Elizabeth, things were more tense. She was fine with the work load, that was never a problem. But her evening briefings with the boys were distressing. All was quiet on the Russian front. Yushenkov was laying low, and that worried her. He always had his finger in some pie, and she had been able to track him through one source or another. But this quiet was unsettling. She had the boys step it up, put out a few more feelers. She touched base with Villanova over secure lines, gave the official brief, and received the official ass chewing for not having more to report. It was always that way, though. The brass was never happy with the way things progressed. They wanted instant answers, instant results. Any agent worth his or her mettle knew that these things took time, patience and finesse. So, she sucked up Villanova's ire and took out her own frustrations in late night workouts at the local gym.

She made it a point to go five times a week. She had to keep herself in top physical condition, to be ready for anything. And the endorphin release went a long way to easing her tense mind. When the boys could they would tag along, each one working out to the point of collapse. They would challenge each other to the pain, seeing how far each could push their endurance. They needed that physical exertion to keep them sharp, focused. And Elizabeth would keep up with them as best she could. Then she would fall to the floor and watch them tease and mock each other for another hour, laughing at them, relishing their humor and camaraderie.

Theirs was a symbiotic relationship. They were steel when she needed strength, guardian angels when she needed comfort, and the wrath of God when she needed protection. She was their Joan of Arc, and they followed her blindly into battle, because they knew she would not send them anywhere she was not willing to go herself. Gunnery Sergeant, or Gunny, Manuel Ramirez was her right hand, and the ranking NCO of the crew. He had been with Elizabeth from the beginning of the Yushenkov case eight years ago. It had taken a full two years to even out the rest of the team. They had gone through several guys, until they found a team that clicked. Sergeant John Moses and Sergeant Chris Jackson made the final cut. Each man was dedicated to the mission, each had earned his stripes. And each had almost fallen apart when she had gone missing three years ago.

It was an unbelievable mess, back then. She had sent them home, and she had said she was coming. And they had lost her. Manny had felt it the most. He should have known her better, known she would try to take Yushenkov on herself, that she couldn't let go. And he swore, when she came back and this insanity started up again, that he would not let her make the same mistake twice. He was going to move heaven and earth to make sure she was safe this time. Or die trying.

It wasn't until the third week that she was with Mr. Darcy that they started having time for actual lunch breaks. They were finally making headway, and the occasional noon breather was a nice diversion from the hectic pace of the contract negotiations. Elizabeth would take these times to go to the tenth floor gym and do a little speed bag practice. She liked this particular exercise because it was good for her hand-eye coordination. It was on Tuesday of that week that she found herself able to make it to the gym. She had started bringing her little black bag, feeling the need to be better armed than usual, and carried some extra work out clothes in it. So, dressing down in a pair of gray sweats and baggy t-shirt, she stepped into the gym. Rolling her neck and shoulders, stretching her arms to limber up, she made her way toward the speed bag, only to be arrested by the clanging of steel on steel. Her roving eye landed on two figures in white engaged in a heated fencing match. One moved like Richard, making the other... Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth was well aware of Richard's capabilities with the epee, and she was equally impressed with Darcy's. She watched their movements with studied interest, picking up on the strengths and weaknesses of each man, as was her habit. Several minutes of heated exchange ensued, until Richard grudgingly acknowledge a hit and they removed their masks.

"Well done, Will. You got me again. Damn you."

"You're improving all the time, Richard. It wasn't as easy as usual, wiping the floor with you."

Will patted Richard on the back warmly. Seeing the match was over, Elizabeth silently turned to leave the area, only to be brought up short by Richard's greeting.

"Lizzy, the slave driver finally give you a lunch break?"

She chuckled lowly as she approached the men.

"Care to give it a go? I'm all worn out, you just might beat me this time."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes in response.

"You fence, Ms. Bennet?" William's interest was piqued.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy."

"Come on, Lizzy, let's go a round." All she could do was shake her head at Richard's audacity. He knew damn well he had never and would never beat her.

"Are you so in love with the bitter taste of defeat, that you need me to give you another shovel-full, Richard?"

"I think that was a challenge, Rich." William laughed heartily at their exchange, and offered Elizabeth the use of his epee. She declined and begged that they would wait one minute while she prepared herself. Jogging swiftly back to the changing room, Elizabeth dug around in her black bag, found just the thing she needed, tucked it into the back of her sweatpants, and returned to her waiting opponent. Her smile was one of smug confidence as she took up her position on the mat and informed Richard to be prepared to be mightily spanked.

"What do you intend to beat me with, your devastating good looks?"

"En garde, Richard."

Her sly smile and lack of any apparent weapon was very unnerving. He never knew what to expect from her, and was beginning to wonder why he had opened his big mouth in the first place, when she assumed a tessen-jitsu pose and removed an iron fan from behind her back. With a snap of her wrist she opened the tessen, a beautiful antique Japanese war fan she had acquired some years ago and had rewrapped in a heavy silk of the most stunning azure. William was all astonishment. He had heard of the ancient art of tessen-jitsu, a form of self defense developed by samurai during the Edo Period of Japan. His amazement only increased while watching her fluid movements become a wondrous dance, avoiding and deflecting each of Richard's thrusts. Her seamless style made Richard look like a plodding oaf, and he was beginning to feel like he looked. A man's ego could only sustain so much damage. He handed William his epee, threw his hands up in disgust, declared her the perpetrator of his emasculation and stomped off toward the showers, muttering under his breath. Her low chuckle and laughing eyes followed his retreat, even as her footsteps moved her from the mat.

"You said you know how to fence, Ms. Bennet. That was nothing like it at all."

"I do, Mr. Darcy. If you would like me to give you lessons on the finer points of the sport, I'd be more than happy." Her deadpan expression was belied by the slight lift of her brow. He was becoming a student of the subtleties of her expressions. Generally speaking, she was unflappable. Her expression was one of constant composed coolness when he was around. Yet out of nowhere, at the most random of times, she let fly the most sarcastic remarks. It was at these times that he found himself studying her the most. Her slight brow lift usually meant a challenge, a slight tug at the corner of her mouth, a jest. And always the swirling mystery of her silver eyes. Now he had challenged her, and she was picking up the gauntlet. He wanted to see something of the real her, have some sort of real contact with her. Have her look at him and him only, for just a moment.

Elizabeth was in rare form. Competition always fired her blood, and it was a hard emotion for her to control. And here Mr. Darcy was, asking for it. After three weeks of being under his constantly watchful eye, she had a chance to give him a little of his own back. She was only human, after all.

William handed her Richard's epee and they took their places on the mat. He could tell already by her grip and stance she knew what she was doing. But his height and weight advantage was substantial, so he started slow, to let her get her bearings against him. He learned a valuable lesson that day. Never give Elizabeth Bennet an opening, for she will take it with relish. He found the need to steady his footing within the first five seconds. She came at him like a hell-cat, her form perfect, her strokes fast and furious. In a flash of movement she was body to body with him, face flushed from the exercise, small curls escaping her deadly chignon to fall about her face, chest heaving with her labored breath. And Darcy met her quicksilver gaze with the black intensity of his own.

She gave him a wicked smile. "Is that you're A game, Will Darcy?"

The primal mixture of lust and competitiveness seared his veins. "No, that was just the warm up… Lizzy."

Back and forth they went, beat for beat, blow for blow, until Elizabeth made a smooth flick with her wrist and all but disarmed him. Had he been any less experienced he would have lost his epee. He quickly changed his stance and recovered.

Again she taunted him. "Adaptable. I like that in an opponent."

"I'm fairly sure that move was illegal."

"So am I."

"So, I'm fencing with a cheat?"

"No, William. While you were taught how to win, I was taught never to lose."

Again they engaged, each more committed than before, their form becoming less exact, their main goal to best the other. Once more they found themselves face to face. William looked down into her eyes, surprised at the complete change in her countenance. For the first time he thought he saw something real there. The snap of fire in her eyes, the curve of her mouth as she took pleasure in their match… beautiful. He lost himself a moment, his gaze lingering on her lips, which were parted and full, trying to catch her breath. He found himself pulled forward, caught up completely in the heady rush of emotions tearing at him. It had been so long since he had allowed himself to feel for anyone.

Elizabeth was relishing this match. It was rare to find someone who could keep up with her. And as she looked up at him, she allowed herself for the first time to see him as a person, and not a mission. He was beautiful, she had known this from his photographs, and had taken every precaution against his physical charm before she had even met him. But now, looking up into his black eyes and strong face, his dark curls falling over his brow she felt something inside her shift and crack. And as the woman inside of her saw his gaze move to her lips, knowing full well what the man in him was asking for, she fought a war within herself. She had never allowed herself to feel before, not really. And the temptation of him was great. But the agent was screaming at her to stop. To remember… Yushenkov. So, sadly, her lips formed to silent word.

No. William saw her lips wrap around that hateful word. And his gaze traveled back up her face just in time to see the iron curtain snap back in place behind her eyes. He, too, pulled back emotionally, realizing he had almost stepped over a boundary he wasn't sure he was ready to cross. But, for one blissful moment he had really seen her. And he tucked that away to examine later.

From the doors of the dressing area, Richard had caught the end of the match. He was not sure what to think about the obvious attraction between the two. His mind furiously churned over the pros and cons of a more intimate relationship between them. It could be a good thing, Elizabeth would have a more constant access to William. But it could go horribly wrong, as well. If William got too close, it would devastate him to lose her when this was all over. If Elizabeth got too close, she might be distracted and lose focus. He decided his best bet was to discuss it with Villanova. And, with that decision in mind, he went back to his office to do just that.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

If there had been time to feel uncomfortable about the "almost kiss", William and Elizabeth would have taken full advantage of it. As it was, there was too much to do before the Christmas holidays, and the whole incident was put out of their heads by meetings and memos. The brief respite they had been enjoying the last couple of weeks had become a thing of the past. Long hours and working lunches made their way back into the schedule, sometimes bleeding into the weekends.

Elizabeth's weekends had been spent exclusively with Jane. It went a long way to helping her keep things together. And now that her time off was getting shorter and shorter, she was starting to show subtle signs of stress. She was becoming snappish and jumpy. Richard noticed it and decided to have a talk to William. He knew from past experience that William's answer to any uncomfortable emotion was to become engrossed in work. But pulling Elizabeth in with him was going to endanger the mission. So, clearing his and William's schedule for Monday afternoon, he took William to lunch at Anthony's, a local upscale fish house.

William met Richard there promptly at 12:30. Knowing William like the back of his hand, Richard had drinks ordered and ready by the time William arrived.

"Hello, Rich. This is a nice change. We haven't done this in awhile."

"My thoughts exactly. Have a seat."

They exchanged pleasantries for a few moments before Richard steered the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go.

"Will, I need some advice."

"Okay, shoot."

"Well, I'm having some trouble with Petra."

'Ah, the ever elusive Petra. I'm beginning to think she's just something you've made up, Richard. When are we actually going to get to meet her?"

"Well, that's just the thing. She has that job, you know, that keeps her away for so long."

"Yes, her job that no one knows what it is or where it takes her." William thoughts were drawn to another who fit that description.

"Exactly. Anyway, after all these years, I'm thinking of asking her the big question."

"Marriage?"

"Yes."

"Well. I wasn't expecting that. Are you sure, Rich. I mean, you two haven't spent any real time together in… well… ever."

"We talk all the time on the phone. I see her every few months. I know its unconventional, but it works for us."

"Do you really love her?"

"Oh yeah."

William sat silently in contemplation.

"Will, when are you going to find yourself a nice girl." And here Richard hit on the topic that had brought about this meeting. Villanova had given him two objectives, the first being to end this thing between William and Elizabeth before it became a problem.

William's expression became guarded. "I don't have time for that sort of thing."

"You don't have time because you are too busy burying yourself in work, just so you won't have time."

That statement carried some bite, and William jerked at it.

"You can't keep up this insane pace, William. That's why we brought Elizabeth in. I thought you two were finally making headway."

"Well, the holidays are coming up, you know. Lots to do.." William's voice drifted off into a distracted mumble.

"I ran into Daphne Mayfield the other day."

"Oh."

Daphne Mayfield had been a friend of William and Richard's for more years than either of them could remember. There had always been a small spark between she and William, though they hadn't seen much of each other since Georgie's death. Richard thought that bringing her back into the picture now might nip any budding feelings William might have for Elizabeth before they became real.

"She's going to be in town over the holidays. You should look her up."

William nodded, his brow creasing a little. "Yes, maybe I will."

That response, while not the complete interest that Richard was hoping for, was enough for now. He still had one more trick up his sleeve, and it was dirty, but he was not in the position to play nice. William's very life was riding on the success of this mission.

"You know, I have to tell you, its really good to see Elizabeth so busy. It keeps her mind off her own man problems."

Once more, William jerked to attention. "She's never spoken of them."

"No, she's not one to talk much about her personal life. I only know of it because I've known her so long."

William's interest was piqued to be sure, and a small tightness invaded his chest, causing him to shift in his chair. "What problems does she have?"

"Oh, just this on again, off again thing with some guy. Its been going on for eight years now. She just can't seem to catch him, if you know what I mean. But she can't seem to let him go, either. Its become almost an… obsession."

William's chest became tighter, he shifted again, his brow creasing. "Who is he?"

"I don't know much about him. She doesn't talk about it too often. I've only been able to piece the story together from little things she's said over the years. But, its not important. What's important is that she seems very happy being so busy. I'm glad this whole thing worked out like it did. She's able to keep her mind occupied elsewhere, and you are able to free up some time to have a personal life. Really, Will, give Daphne a call. I think it would be good for you."

If it had been anything short of William's life at risk, Richard would have left this whole thing alone to run its course. As it was, he felt slimy for having done this nasty bit of manipulation. William was a brother to him, and he hated deceiving him in this way. But it had to be done. And, sadly, this was the kindest of the demands that were made of him. Part two of Villanova's instructions still had to be carried out, and it was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.

For the rest of the week, the tension in the office grew exponentially. William would speak to Elizabeth in one and two word sentences, barely able to look at her because of the war of emotions waging in his chest. Elizabeth, oblivious to his changed demeanor, was snapping at anyone in a ten foot radius, very much in need of a break to pull her raw nerves back together. She was being pulled on an emotional rack, caught between William's demands and the need to track down Yushenkov. Still no information, and she had tapped her last resource last night. A slow, cold fear was making its way into her mind.

By 11:00 a.m. on Friday, things were almost unbearable. William was in such a black mood that any work he had accomplished had to be redone because of his inability to focus. He was making mistakes, and that only added to his ire. He buzzed Elizabeth's office and informed her that he would be taking lunch at noon, and would be going home for the rest of the day. She should wrap up whatever loose ends she needed to take care of and call it a day as well. Elizabeth let out a long sigh, maybe things were looking up after all.

Within five minutes of William's announcement, Elizabeth's phone rang with an outside call. She answered, ready for some bad news that would keep her locked in her office and chained to her desk for another six hours.

"Lizzy, hi, its Manny." Elizabeth's heart jumped with joy. Manny was calling her on an unsecure line, something was up, and it could only mean some new information had come in.

"Hi, how are you?"

"Great, listen, there's this club in town that I thought you might enjoy. Its called Fringe. I was going to go there tonight at 10:00. Would you like to go?"

"Sure, that sounds great."

"Wonderful. Listen, its one of those Goth type places, you know, the kind that plays that really loud music. Just so you know how to dress and all."

"Alright, so Fringe, 10:00, dress Goth. Sounds like fun. I'll see you there!"

Elizabeth hung up the phone on cloud nine. This information was so good they had to have a meeting in a loud crowded place just so they would not be overheard. She all but did the happy dance while she finished her work and closed up her office for the weekend. And it was this distracted state that caused her to miss Caroline Bingley quickly walking away from her office.

Caroline tapped lightly on William's door, entering on his command.

"William, dear, how are you? I've been dying to spend more time with you during my visit, but alas, it seems that we have conflicting schedules."

William cringed at the sound of her voice. He had been glad that they had seen little of each other while she had been in town. Her clinging and demanding nature always put him on edge, and he tolerated her only because she was Charles' sister.

"Hello, Caroline, how are you?"

"I am well, William. I just stopped by because I wanted to see you before I leave for Paris tomorrow afternoon. I wanted to have one last little get together before I go. Could I possibly persuade you?"

"Oh, Caroline, I don't know, I've got so much work to do, I was planning on being here all night." William was surprised at how easily the lie fell from his lips.

"Please, William, just one last hurrah before I leave again. I do miss you all so much when I am gone. Charles and Jane will be there. Please come."

William caved. It was one night, a few hours, and then she was gone again. He was sure he could suffer through. And Charles and Jane would be there, so the night would not be a total loss.

"Okay, Caroline. When and where?"

"Oh, this darling little club on Broadway. A friend suggested it to me last week. She said I just had to go before I left. Does 10:00 sound good?"

"Sure, I'll meet you all there." William wrote the address down as she gave it to him.

"Wonderful, William dear. I look forward to it." And blowing him an air kiss, Caroline swept out of the room, smiling wickedly as the door closed behind her. She had only stopped by to wish William well before she flew off again, but with this new development, she would be going off in style.

Fringe. She had heard of that club's reputation. Two local artists had created it a year ago, with the mind set that the upper crust just didn't have enough darkness in their lives. Set in the best end of town, amidst five star restaurants and chic boutiques, Fringe was a renovated 1920's movie theater, catering to the gothic side of the town's wealthiest residents. She was sure that when William saw for himself that his darling assistant chose such a place to hang out in her free time, that he would fire her straight away. She was almost giddy as she placed a call to her brother on her cell phone.

"Charles, darling, I have the best news. We are having a going away party for me downtown…"

9:45 p.m. Fringe

Elizabeth, buried in her heavy wool coat, stepped through the etched glass and brass handled doors of the town's hippest night club. Once inside, she found herself in a red velvet clad foyer, complete with antique love seats and large, gilded mirrors. Framed paintings of people dressed in masquerade regalia hung here and there through out the room. Large, ornately carved oak doors sporadically lined the back wall in pairs, each guarded by muscle bound men dressed in all black. And in the center of the room, a large booth manned by a scantily clad young woman, acted as a hat and coat check. Elizabeth left her coat with the woman and approached the nearest entrance. One of the men smiled down at her, and opened the door.

Elizabeth was almost knocked back a step by the wall of sound that hit her. The manic strains of industrial music pounded at the air as she stepped into the massive room. And all around her was black. Black walls, black tables, black chairs, black carpeting. The bar near the dance floor and the laser lights were the only hints of color in the sea of darkness that surrounded her. How was she ever going to find him in this place?

Moments after Elizabeth disappeared into the blackness, William and the Bingley's entered the foyer.

"Oh, Charles, what is this place? Its beautiful." Jane's eyes grew wide as she took in the lavish décor.

"I'm not sure really. Caroline, what is this place?"

"Oh, some little club my friend told me about. She said it is just divine and that I must try it."

William remained silent, a little worried about what they had just gotten themselves into.

Checking their coats, they entered the same way as Elizabeth, and the sudden change in atmosphere would have sent William running if Caroline had not had a death grip on his arm.

Not a word passed between the group as they found an empty table near the bar. Feeling the need for a stiff drink, William offered to make a drink run, and took the other's requests. Finding room at the bar was sketchy at best, and when a stool became available, William took it, hoping that the bartender would make it down his way sooner than later. It was within one minute of sitting down that he felt a pair of hands slide up his thigh, while another made their way over his shoulders and down to his chest. He turned around as best as he could to see where the offending appendages came from. Before him stood two very young, very pretty, and very obviously intoxicated women, smiling at him with unabashed sexuality.

"Hey, honey, you look yummy. Come dance with us," the one on his leg purred.

"No, but thank you, " he said as he tried to disengage them from his person.

"Aw, please, we don't bite. Hard." The one around his neck giggled in his ear.

"Please, ladies, I have to get back to my table. Another time maybe."

But the giggling girls would not be dissuaded.

From the other end of the bar, Elizabeth could see the tall man enveloped in a squirming mass of drunken womanhood. She laughed to herself at his predicament. He bore a striking resemblance to William, and that thought alone made her chuckle. That he would be in a place like this was funny, that he would be in a place like this and attacked by girls like that was hilarious. Until she heard a deep, insistent voice that could be none other than his. Shocked, she made her way to his end of the bar, trying to catch a good look at him through the women attached to him. It wasn't until she was right next to him that she could make out his features. She wanted to laugh at the pitiable expression on his face. Trying hard to be a gentleman, he was fighting a losing battle. For each hand he took off another two seemed to land in some intimate place. Finally feeling sorry for him, she grabbed the arm of the girl nearest to her and gave it a good squeeze. It took quite a bit of pressure to get the girl's attention, but when the girl turned her head to see where the pain was coming from Elizabeth grabbed her chin with her free hand.

"Back off, sugar."

"Get bent, bitch. We saw him first."

Elizabeth increased the pressure of her grip, causing the girl to cringe in pain.

"I said, back off. He doesn't want you. Move along."

The girl tried to get free of Elizabeth's iron grip, but couldn't. Her hazy expression started to show comprehension of her situation.

"Fine, have him. He's a bore anyway." Elizabeth let her go, and, grabbing her friend they took off toward the dance floor, finding some new piece of meat to lavish their attention on.

William was thankful to be free of the groping hands. But, as he turned toward his savior to thank her, he wondered if he had fallen from the frying pan into the fire. Before him stood five feet six inches of smirking curviness. Black, buckle-up, knee-high Doc Martin's hugged well rounded calves, black tights kissed wickedly shaped thighs, which were mostly exposed due to the shortness of the plaid and pleated mini-skirt that clung to her shapely hips. All this was found under a tiny waist encircled by a black velvet corset embroidered in silver thread and laced over a sheer, white, long sleeved top, unbuttoned and showing more cleavage than he felt he could handle at that moment. Upward his eyes traveled, catching the hint of endless sable curls spilling over her back, a small dimpled chin, full lips tinted the exact color of his favorite vintage of Bordeaux, a pert nose, and dark make-up drawing full attention to the most amazing… silver eyes.

"Elizabeth!"

"Out past your bed time, Mr. Darcy?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What?"

Moving his face closer to her ear, he repeated his question.

"I could ask the same of you, Mr. Darcy. This is hardly your scene."

He had only caught part of what she said, as just then another person at the bar bumped into her hard and sent her crashing into his chest. He caught her in a firm grip, and pulled her away from the bar and between his legs so he could shield her from the jostling and pushing around them.

"You want to repeat that, I couldn't hear you."

Elizabeth rested her hands on his forearms, and leaning into his ear, repeated the question. It was a pointless endeavor all the way around. He had become oblivious to anything outside of the feel of her waist in his hands, the gentleness of her touch on his arms, the whisper of her breath in his ear. She pulled back to look at him, because he wasn't answering her, and that's when she spotted Manny.

William felt her body tense and dropped his hands, thinking he had offended her with his over familiarity. He opened his mouth to apologize when he saw that her gaze had been directed elsewhere. He couldn't make out exactly what she was looking at, but keenly felt the loss as she disentangled herself from him. She mumbled something to him about him needing to be careful and to go home, then she moved toward the object of her intent gaze. He followed her with his eyes, wondering at her sudden shift in focus.

Elizabeth kept Manny in her sights, scared she would lose him in the swarm of people. His six foot four frame was hard to miss, but in the distracting flash of the laser lights, she didn't want to take any chances. Once she was within reach, he grabbed for her arm and pulled her to him.

"Damn, this is insane. I should have picked a bowling alley."

She laughed with him as they moved toward the dance floor, trying to lose themselves in the mass of humanity pressing around them. Manny put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, reminiscent of the way William had just held her. Moving together to the music, trying to look like all the other dancing couples, Manny leaned into her ear. But just before he could speak he felt a hot gaze bearing down on him. His eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area and landed back at the bar. There was the joker, staring him down. He returned the gaze with equal intensity. He didn't have to like this guy to do his job. And from the look he was getting he could tell the feeling was mutual.

Manny spoke into Elizabeth's ear, his dark gaze never leaving Darcy's.

"Boss, the boys and I got a hit today. Looks like we've got confirmation of Yushenkov in London."

"What source?"

"Intercepted voice traffic from his personal plane to the tower. We checked and double checked, and its legit."

"Good. Let's get Ivers and Rowe to follow up over there, see what they can find."

"On it, boss."

"Good job, Manny. This could be a big break."

Manny nodded, still playing a battle of wills over Elizabeth's shoulder. He pulled her in a little tighter and raised a challenging eyebrow at the other man.

"Boss, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted, Manny."

"He's got the hots for you."

"What?"

"The mark. He's got the hots for you. He's about to come out of his chair and beat the hell out of me."

Elizabeth pulled back and looked Manny in the face. She had the good sense not to alert William to their topic of discussion by looking back at him, but she did not like what she saw in front of her.

"Manny, are you giving him the eye?"

"No, ma'am."

"Manny!"

"Okay, maybe a little." He smiled rakishly into her disapproving eyes.

"Manuel Ramirez, I will kick your ass."

"Bring it, sister," he teased.

"Manny, don't harass him. Its not his fault he doesn't know what the hell is going on."

Manny's expression turned serious, and he looked at her intensely, wanting her to know that his next words were the absolute truth.

"Lizzy, as your friend, if that fool hurts you or gets you hurt, when this is over I will end him."

Elizabeth took his face in her hands and returned his intense gaze.

"He's not the threat, Manny. Ease up."

And then he knew. She was taken with this guy. If she had not had feelings of some sort for Darcy she would have laughed it off. But she didn't. And the implications scared him.

At the bar, William was making some hard decisions. Richard's words were coming back to him as he watched Elizabeth in the arms of the massive man that was currently staring him down. Was this the man that was playing fast and loose with her affections? Should he intervene in someway? It was obvious by her quick shift in focus from himself to the other man, and the ease with which she was moving in his arms, that she was content with this man. He should back away. What the hell was he thinking, anyway? She was his assistant, for God's sake. He needed to leave that whole thing alone. She did a great job helping him with work, he didn't want that to end. But it was obvious now that her affections lay else where. It was time to throw the towel in gracefully. Besides, Daphne was back in town. She could be just the thing to help him get over this weird infatuation. Yes, that's what he would do. He had to get this craziness out of his head.

William made his way back to the table.

"No drinks, Will?" Charles asked.

"No, I couldn't even get the bartender's attention."

"William, was that Ms. Bennet I saw over there?" Caroline pointed in the general direction that Elizabeth had last been in. She had seen some of the exchange between William and Elizabeth, and it had seemed for a moment that her plan had backfired. His hands had been on that little chit, and she had seethed with anger for a moment. But, by some stroke of luck, Elizabeth had ended up with that hulk of a man in black. Once again, her spirits rose. Maybe she had not succeeded in getting that woman fired, but she could tell by the look on William's face that there was no danger of Elizabeth ever tempting him away from her. When she had learned that William had hired that wretch to be his assistant, she was sure that Elizabeth was a gold-digger looking to land a rich man. Now she could see that her William was above such nonsense.

"I think I've had enough of this place. Why don't we go?" William grumbled, ready to be done with the whole evening.

Everyone else agreed, though Jane was a bit sad at not having even spoken to Elizabeth. She, too, had seen the way Elizabeth and William had interacted at the bar earlier. She made a mental note to call her later and ask what was really going on.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Elizabeth collapsed on the couch and took off her boots. Once her feet were free she tucked them under her and leaned back into the cushions, running scenarios through her mind. Yushenkov in London. What was he up to? She compared what she knew about him from the past to this new information. He rarely left the walls of his compound in Arkhangelsk. From satellite imagery, the compound appeared to be a veritable fortress, and he had a small army in attendance at all times. There was a large airplane hanger there as well, and she had seen from the aerial shots herself that he had a MIG-29 in storage. She seriously doubted that Russia's nastiest mob boss had possession of a fighter just because he liked to go joy-riding. Yushenkov was no joke. So, why, with all his black market deals, his funding of terrorist activity, his trafficking of illegal arms was he concerned with one American company trying to bring more revenue into the Russian economy. What was the connection? And what the hell had brought him out of hiding. Naturally she was a little gun shy about this new information. The last time she had thought he was coming out to say hello, she had ended up in an eight by eight hell-hole with no windows under a prison in Ankarrah for almost three years. She shuddered involuntarily at the memory.

Lost in thought, she didn't hear the phone until the third ring. Who was calling her at midnight? She hauled herself up from the couch and answered the chirping annoyance.

"Hello."

"Lizzy, hi, its Jane."

"Hey, Jane."

"Sorry to call so late, but I didn't get to say hello when I saw you at that club."

"You were there?"

"Yes. It was Caroline's idea that we all go there as a send off. She's leaving for Paris."

"Ah."

"So, is there anything you want to tell me?"

Jane must have seen her with Manny. She would have to be careful what she said over the phone.

"You mean tall, dark and handsome?"

"Yes."

"He's an old friend."

There was a confused pause at the other end. "Ahh… old friend?"

Elizabeth was taken aback. She knew that Jane was smart, but to figure out so quickly who Manny was… well, she should give the girl more credit.

"Yes, what do you think of him?"

Jane was completely lost. "The same thing I've thought of him for years. He's a good and honorable man."

Elizabeth had never heard Jane talk about her boys before. She smiled with pride at the compliment. "I'll be sure and tell him you said so."

"You two seemed pretty close tonight. What's going on?"

"Oh, he just had some news to tell me about a mutual friend."

"Are you sure that's all? I've never seen him act like that before, Lizzy."

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to be completely lost. "You've never seen him before, Jane."

"Charles and I came there tonight with him. What are you talking about? Of course I've seen William before."

William. Jane had seen her exchange with William, not Manny. Once she had heard Manny's news, she had pushed the whole incident with William to the back of her mind.

"Oh, that."

"So, what was that all about?"

"I was just saving him from a couple of drunken octopi. No big deal."

"Lizzy, I've seen William with women before. He always has a date for social engagements and parties. But never, in all the years I have known him, have I seen him look at or put his hands on a woman like he did with you tonight. Charles says that he was never even that way with Daphne Mayfield, who everyone thought he was going to marry."

Elizabeth mulled that over in her mind for a moment. She had seen that name in his file. She knew that Daphne Mayfield was an old family friend, and years ago they had spent a lot of time together, the society pages speculating on possible impending nuptials. By all appearances a damper was put on things when Georgie died. It did not shock Elizabeth that, with William's predisposition to drown himself in work, he had pushed Daphne away in his hour of need.

"There is nothing going on other than me doing his filing and typing and saving his ass. Don't read too much into it."

"Leading him on to get the job done isn't part of the plan, is it?"

Elizabeth bristled at this. Jane was supposed to be on her side, damn it.

"No, Jane, whore is not in my job description."

"That's not what I mean, Lizzy. He's our friend and I worry, that's all. He's lost a lot, and, well, frankly, we are the one's who will be left here to pick up the pieces when you leave. I don't think its fair to destroy his emotions for the sake of the… well, you know."

"I'll tell you what's not fair, Jane. What's not fair is you calling me at midnight and implying that I am doing anything less honorable than putting myself in the line of fire for your darling boy. If you think that I will exact my payment in the bedroom for services rendered than screw you. I assure you that any affection he has toward me has been unasked for and unwanted. I have done nothing to encourage it and I have most assuredly not returned the sentiment." Elizabeth's voice had reached a fevered pitch by the end of her rant and her breath came out in ragged gasps.

Jane smiled at the other end of the line. She had known from childhood that the only way to get Elizabeth to cop to liking a boy was to piss her off, and the more she liked him the madder she would get and the more she would deny it. For all of Elizabeth's training in deception and manipulation, she still fell for that old trick every time.

"Busted. Now pay up."

Elizabeth groaned on the other end. Why had she not seen this coming?

"Fine. I'm attracted to him, okay. He's tall, he's gorgeous, he's built, he's intelligent what's not to like. But I can't and he can't and I'm trying hard to squash it, Jane. I really am."

"I know, Lizzy. Just be careful with yourself, okay. I worry about you. And a lot of the stuff I said about him does apply. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

"I know, thank you. I'm doing my best, truly."

"Listen, come over this weekend and hang out with Charles and me. Caroline is leaving for Paris this afternoon, we can do whatever we like however we like. Get some sleep and come over at say, three?"

"Sure, sounds great. See ya then."

"Lizzy…"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, sis."

Elizabeth lay in bed for several hours that night, dwelling on feelings she had wanted to ignore. There was something about William that stirred her blood. From that first day in his office, when things had almost fallen apart, she had felt some nebulous cloud forming in the back of her mind. Long ago, Elizabeth had put aside all hopes of having romantic feelings of any sort. Her lifestyle did not allow it. Any twinges of feeling were immediately pushed back into a small pocket in her psyche, and there she had hoped to put William Darcy. But unlike the other fleeting interests she had locked up, he was not being a good boy. He would sneak out at night, making a nuisance of himself in her dreams. He would hijack her thoughts as she soaked in her bathtub. He ran roughshod over her few quiet times. And no matter how hard she tried to stuff him back into that pocket, he would slip out again as soon as she wasn't looking. The thought of him was just as demanding as the reality of him. She let out a deep sigh, thinking to herself that one good thing might come of all this tonight. He exhausted her so much, she might actually stay in the bed. Holding on to that small hope, she closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her.

No such luck.

The Saturday afternoon sun shown down on three different people engaging in three very different activities.

For Elizabeth, the day was spent in the warm cocoon of Charles and Jane's loving presence, relaxing and enjoying a moment of calm in her crazy life. Nothing more stressful than what everyone wanted for dinner was discussed. She needed this break, needed to pull herself together and recharge her overly tapped energy reserves.

For William, the day was spent renewing old friendships and agonizing over new ones. He had taken Richard's advice, and given Daphne a call that morning. They had talked for over an hour before they had agreed that catching up in person was a much more appealing prospect. They made plans to meet at the country club for lunch that afternoon. As William placed the phone back in the cradle, he was torn in two directions. On one hand he was happy to be seeing Daphne again. He had always had feelings for her, and had felt guilty over the way things had played out. But, on the other hand, there was Elizabeth. Last night, he thought he had come to a decision about her. Yet the more firmly his mind was set, the more the thought of her crept in, pushing aside all his best laid plans. In that club, in that outfit, had she been anyone else, he would never have given her a second glance. But, that it was her in that club and in those clothes, and the fact being that he had for so long been curious about what lay under her usual bland office attire, the image of her wouldn't leave him. He cringed at the shallowness of it, but there it was. He found her mysterious and erotic. Her very being was something of a slow seduction. Little by little he was discovering her true nature just as last night he had slowly taken in her real form and figure. There was far more to Elizabeth than she was openly showing him, and he couldn't stop his drive to know all.

He left for his lunch date, hoping that seeing Daphne again would help bring him back to the peace of mind he had known before Elizabeth.

For Richard, the day was spent in a small downtown apartment, alone with three very dangerous men, carrying out the last step in Villanova's harsh plan.

The boys had opted to rent a three bedroom apartment together in the cheap side of town, knowing they wouldn't be there long and that none of them would be spending any real time there. Manny had received a call from Richard that morning, asking to meet them there to discuss some business. They had agreed on a time when they could meet, but Manny emphasized the fact that it needed to be short, because there should be someone in the truck monitoring the incoming traffic at all times.

Moe offered Richard a drink as Jack lead him into the living room, offering him a seat on the couch. Richard declined both, instead taking a chair from the table and sitting in it backwards, knowing that he would have it as a weapon in case they didn't like what he had to say. He asked them all to take a seat, and without any preliminary small talk, hit them between the eyes with their newest assignment.

"Boys, I've had a talk with Villanova."

All three men shivered. Villanova was a name to be feared and respected. Not one of them could think of anyone tougher or meaner.

"I need you to run surveillance on Lizzy."

Moe and Jack shot up from the couch in unison, fists clenched and curses flying. Richard jumped up from his chair and grabbed it by the back, ready to break it across the first massive form that came at him.

"Sit down." Manny's deep voice boomed, bringing the boys to heel. "Let the man have his say."

Moe and Jack slowly sank back into their seats, eyes hard as flint and muscles still tensed.

"We need to know if Lizzy and Will are becoming… close. She can't go there, boys. If she becomes emotionally involved she may crack, and we will lose everything."

"You are asking us to spy on the boss. That's bullshit," Jack protested.

"No, its to keep her safe. She's not fully sound yet. We need to know where her head is at, because, as you all know, she will not admit to a weakness."

"I won't spy on the boss. She trusts us and we trust her. If she found out, she wouldn't think we were trying to help her, she would think we don't trust her. Then the team is worthless and she's flying solo," Moe growled.

Richard looked to Manny, the only one he had not heard from yet and the one he had expected the most trouble from . He knew that this whole thing would be an impossible sell, and the chances of success were zero and none. He was shocked, though, to find he had an ally.

"Villanova's right. We have to do it."

Moe and Jack looked at Manny as though he had just grown a third eye.

Jack was the first to find his voice. "What the hell, Manny. I'm not stabbing her in the back."

Manny took the hard line, snatching the boys up short. "You'll do as you're told sergeant, without question. Do I make myself clear?"

A tense silence permeated the room as the three titans took each other in and weighed their options.

"I said, do I make myself clear?"

Moe and Jack gritted their teeth and gave the correct answer, "Sir, yes sir."

"She's falling for him, I saw it. We have to protect her at all costs, even if its from herself. Understood?"

"Jealous," Moe growled under his breath.

Manny was on him in a flash, pulling him off the couch and into his face by the shirt front.

"You have something to say to me, boy?"

"No, Gunny."

"Damn right you don't. Don't you ever question my intentions when it comes to the boss. We almost lost her last time, I'll be damned if I am going to let that happen again. I don't care what we have to do."

Moe let his eyes fall in shame. Manny was right, but he hated the idea so much that he had to lash out at someone.

Richard stood in awe at the scene before him as Manny put Moe down and thumped him on the back in forgiveness. It was amazing how these men related to each other. One minute they were ready to tear each other up, the next all was forgotten. He had never admired Manny more than he did right then. And he was thankful, because Manny had done his job for him, and he would walk out of here in one piece.

"When do we start?" Manny asked.

"Well, that's the thing. Next weekend is the annual Christmas get together at William's estate in the country. Lizzy's sister and brother-in-law are always invited, so that will mean that Lizzy will go to. And if for some reason Will doesn't extend the invitation to her, I will. When we are there, you will need to bug her apartment and Will's penthouse. I will take care of things at Pemberley. How does that sound?"

"Good. We can do that, and we have an extra machine in the truck that we can dedicate to the copy." Manny's response was solemn. He didn't feel any better about this than the other two, but he knew it was a necessary evil.

Richard rose to leave and Manny followed him to the door.

"I don't like this, Fitzwilliam, but I know its what's best for the boss. I am going to tell you now, though, that I will not be part of anything that will hurt her. If you two are going to try to use this against her in anyway, I won't allow it."

"No, Manny. Villanova and I both have her best interests at heart. I'm not going to allow that either. Alright?"

Manny nodded in answer and opened the door.

"I'll call you to firm things up before we leave. Its going to be alright, Manny." Richard gave Manny's arm a squeeze and left the apartment. The three men left behind could do nothing but stare at the floor for several minutes, trying to come to terms with the traitorous thing that they had to do.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

The Mayfield and Darcy families had close ties dating back to before the civil war. While the Darcy family was a formidable force in industry, the Mayfields were an equally formidable force in finance. Many generations of Mayfields had backed Darcy enterprises, and both families reaped the rewards of those substantially lucrative endeavors. Yet in all that time, there had never been a mingling of the Darcy/Mayfield blood lines. So, one can imagine the collectively held breaths of all the social elite at the thought of a merger between these two financial powerhouses. And it had seemed inevitable that there would be a union. They were a perfect couple, perfectly dressed, perfectly coiffed, perfectly suited. William had been kind and attentive, Daphne had been sweet and demure. It had been promising for a little while, then hell came knocking on William's door and he had forcibly shoved everyone and everything away.

Initially, Daphne had been hurt. She understood his pain, but that he wouldn't allow her to comfort him or help him had pained her. Eventually, when all her well-meaning attempts were rebuffed, she pulled away herself and left for Europe and adventures abroad. She had traveled at first, taking in the beauty of the old world. But soon she found she longed for deeper things. She came home and decided to take a few nursing classes at the local college, but kept it quiet. She already had her masters in art history, and knew her family would disapprove of her new interests. She continued on until she received her nursing degree, then she made plans to take a trip. She told her parents that she wanted to visit the wilds of Africa, see the sights, maybe take a trek through the jungle. In reality she had already made arrangements with Doctors Without Borders to do a six month tour on the Ivory Coast. It had been the most life changing, yet life affirming, time she had ever known. She had grown so much as a person, learning that there was more to life than the pampered existence she had grown accustomed to. She came back a changed woman, and she hoped for the better. She had only been back for three months when William had called her. She felt an odd mix of bittersweet emotions at his call. There was so much about William that she loved and admired. He was a good man with a good heart, but he lived a different life than the one she now wanted for herself. Yet, when they had met for lunch, she found him altered. The loss he had suffered had left its mark, deepening the lines around his mouth and forehead. But on closer inspection there was something else. A spark was behind his eyes that she had never seen before. Something had awaken him, just a little, and had she known him any less she would have missed it.

As they were parting ways after lunch, William invited Daphne to come to Pemberley next weekend for the Christmas holidays. She had already told him that her family was in Europe for the winter, and that she would be spending Christmas at their family home alone. She accepted the offer and they parted ways, each feeling happy to renew their friendship, but each very aware of the changes they saw in each other.

The week leading up to Christmas was hectic. A meeting with Ambassador Solensky was scheduled for the next Tuesday, so everyone was working overtime to get things ready for it before the holidays. William used this as an excuse not to discuss the Pemberley weekend with Elizabeth. He felt awkward even thinking about inviting her. By the time Thursday came, he had put the whole idea of her being there completely away from him. Richard slipped into Elizabeth's office on Thursday afternoon and asked if William had brought the subject up yet.

"No."

"Then I'm officially inviting you. You will need to be there."

"Okay, good."

"We are all going up there tomorrow afternoon. Listen, its kind of hard to find, so ride up with Jane and Charles, okay?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright then, all set. I will see you tomorrow."

That night, Elizabeth headed for the nearest upscale department store. Jane had told her that she would need to dress for dinner each evening, and Elizabeth didn't think the plaid mini-skirt would suffice. So, she pampered herself and bought three beautiful dresses for the occasion, with shoes and jewelry to match. She felt positively sinful for the extravagance, but what the hell, she rationalized, you only live once. But, the bliss faded when she returned home and began to pack for the trip. She left her little black bag for last, emptying it of its contents and sitting down to clean and inspect each weapon, repacking the bag with care. By midnight she had finished, and she took a moment to go through a mental checklist, ensuring she had every base covered. She had called the boys earlier, putting them on standby while she was gone. Pemberley was thirty miles away, and she knew that if she needed them, they could be there in fifteen minutes, mainly because Moe could drive like a bat out of hell.

Jane had been thrilled that Elizabeth was going with them to Pemberley. She had been upset with William for not having invited Elizabeth, leaving Richard to do it at the last minute, but her joy at spending Christmas with her sister washed it all away. They picked Elizabeth up early Friday afternoon, and made the journey out to Pemberley together. It was a beautiful drive into the country, even though the snow had melted off early this year.

Charles slowed the car as they reached the head of the drive. Half of Elizabeth's mind marveled at the beauty before her, the long wooded drive that opened up to a large field of mown grass and on to a manicured lawn and imposing stone mansion, flanked on the right by a beautiful pond. The other half of her mind was cursing in seven different languages about how difficult this was going to be to defend. Leave it to Will Darcy to make an easy thing as hard as possible.

Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, met them as they got out of the car, waving two servants to take the luggage from the trunk. Jane embraced Mrs. Reynolds as an old friend, then turned to introduce her to Elizabeth.

"Mrs. Reynolds, this is my sister, Elizabeth. Lizzy, this is the single most efficient housekeeper in the world, Mrs. Reynolds."

Mrs. Reynolds blushed at the compliment, giving Jane an affectionate squeeze on the arm, then turned her eyes to Elizabeth and gave her an appraising once over. So, this was the woman that Mr. Fitzwilliam warned her about. He had told her that Elizabeth was Mr. Darcy's personal assistant, and was to have free reign in the house, without question. Funny, Mr. Darcy had not made note of her on the guest list. But she was sweet Jane's sister. She shook the hand that Elizabeth offered, deciding that she would keep a sharp eye on this one.

As Mrs. Reynolds led the group to their rooms, she explained that they were the last to arrive, and that Miss Daphne and Mr. Darcy were currently out riding, but Mr. Fitzwilliam could be found in the second floor dining room. Dinner would be served at seven, which was three hours from now. If anything else was needed, she encouraged them to let her know.

Elizabeth settled in her room, unpacking the dresses from their garment bag. The rest of her clothes she left in the luggage, in case she needed to leave at a moment's notice. Her black bag she tucked in the top of the closet, pushing it as far out of sight as possible. She looked about the room, taking in its features. Three large windows, one door, a large dresser with a vanity, two nightstands, and a large bed. Everything was rich in color and of good quality. She liked it very much. And at least I'll have a few minutes sleep in that wonderful bed, Elizabeth teased herself. She looked at the clock on one of the nightstands and saw she had time to meet with Richard before dinner.

It took her a little time to find the second floor drawing room. She did, however, find the first floor library, the second floor bathroom, and the second floor broom closet quite easily. Finally stumbling across the door to the drawing room, she entered to find Richard sound asleep on a brocade divan, a book draped carelessly over his chest. She snuck up next to him silently, and leaning near his ear, began to whisper.

"Oh, Richard. I've missed you."

Richard twitched his head in annoyance and settled back into slumber.

"Richard, honey, I've missed you so badly, please kiss me, baby."

"Petra…" Richard mumbled.

"Yes, darling. Its Petra. Come on, baby, give me a kiss."

"Petra, I love you."

Elizabeth chuckled lowly, hoping she could milk this for awhile and really embarrass him.

"I love you, too, baby."

"I'm sorry, Petra."

Elizabeth frowned, this didn't sound good.

"Sorry for what, dear."

"Sorry for what I'm about to do to Elizabeth."

And with that Richard rolled off the couch and pinned her to the floor, tickling her with one hand while keeping her shoulder down with the other.

"Damn teasing brat. Don't you know that will never work with me."

She laughed heartily, and he responded in kind. A laughing Elizabeth was a rare experience, and he enjoyed it while it lasted. Which wasn't much longer, as William and a tall, beautiful red head had just entered the room. Richard jumped to his feet looking for all the world like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Elizabeth rose a little more slowly, pulling herself together and giving Richard a small smack on the back of the head.

"William, Daphne, how was your ride?"

"Great Richard, how was your nap?" Daphne teased, as she stepped forward to greet Elizabeth.

"Hello, you must be Petra. We've all heard so much about you. I'm Daphne Mayfield. Its nice to finally meet you."

"No, I'm not Petra. But it is nice to meet you, all the same. I am actually Elizabeth Bennet, Jane's sister." Elizabeth grasped Daphne's hand in a mutually strong shake. She smiled. A strong handshake was a sign of good character, and it was a rare thing among women of Daphne's social set.

Though Daphne was surprised to find the object of Richard's attentions was not his much raved about Petra, but in fact, William's little talked about assistant, she still shook the woman's hand in greeting. What a little spit fire, she thought. And what an amazing color her eyes are. She turned to look for William, who had mysteriously disappeared from her side, and found him several steps back and almost out the door.

"William, why didn't you tell me your assistant would be here?"

Elizabeth took the moment's distraction to take a good look at Daphne. She was several inches taller than Elizabeth and had a slender, elegant build. Her hair was almost copper in color, and she had the beautiful creamy complexion that usually accompanied that particular hair coloring. Her eyes were a deep green and her face was delicately beautiful. Over all she was stunning, and the kindness in her expression and intelligence in her eyes only added to the overall effect. Elizabeth felt suddenly self conscious.

William stood at the back of the room near the door and one step away from bolting. He had not known that Elizabeth would be here. Why was she here? Could he not have one moment's peace? Many times he had thought of her here, in his family home, sprawled out on his bed, his head resting on her naked breast, her fingers running through his hair… He shook himself back to reality. Seeing her, standing before him in his mother's favorite room, in worn jeans and a fitted sweater, her hair in a loose braid, her eyes impish from the fun she had been having at Richard's expense, her amazing silver eyes… He shook himself again and clenched his jaw against the growl of agony beating around in his chest. And it was in this state of conflict that Daphne found him, and her question went unanswered verbally, but she had read him like a book physically. This woman tied him up in knots. A small smile spread across her face as she turned back to Elizabeth, looking on her in yet another light. Oh, yes, she would definitely be keeping her eyes on this woman.

Richard cleared his throat and excused himself from the room saying he needed to get dressed for dinner. Elizabeth said she would follow him out, sure that she would get lost if she tried to find her room on her own. Once out in the hall, they started in on each other again.

"I've got your brat right here, baby," Elizabeth taunted Richard.

"You looking for an ass kicking?"

"From who, you?"

"No, Mrs. Reynolds, if she catches you teasing her favorite boy."

"Oh, and I suppose that would be you, right?"

"Of course."

"Poor disillusioned old girl."

They rounded the corner, coming face to face with the disillusioned old girl herself. Mrs. Reynolds raised a disapproving eyebrow at Elizabeth and moved on down the hallway, busy with household tasks.

Oh, Lord, the hits just keep coming, Elizabeth mentally moaned.

"God, you make a good impression, Elizabeth. No wonder you are so good at your job." Richard belly laughed all the way down the stairs.

Dinner was announced promptly at seven, as the ladies were descending the stairs. The men, dashing in their dinner jackets and ties, were awaiting the ladies in the dining room. Jane and Daphne entered, looking like supermodels, their height and bone structure perfectly complimented by their choice of dresses. Having grown up with a beauty like Jane, Elizabeth had on many occasions felt invisible. Tonight was one of those nights, as all eyes turned at Jane and Daphne's entrance, appreciative expressions on the face of every man in the room. Out of spite and self defense, Elizabeth pulled back before passing into the dining room and hung out in the hallway for a few moments, letting the Amazon princesses sit down before she made her own entrance.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Richard was not the first to notice her absence, just the first to comment on it.

"I'm right here." And in she walked, sex on a stick. Her dark curls were pulled into an elegant French twist and secured with her ever present steel pins, a few tendrils left down to soften the effect. Her black, filmy dress was cut on a bias so it swayed seductively with the swing of her curvy hips. Her high heels buckled around her ankles, drawing attention to the perfection of her well toned legs. The beaded straps of her dress lead the eye to a subtle neckline, showing only a modest hint of cleavage. But God help any man in the room when she turned around. Backless, absolutely. Because the only way to combat the Claudia Schiffer effect was to throw in some Betty Page. And she had that in spades. A mass loosening of collars happened among the male wait staff, and a quiet debate occurred over which one of the young men would seat the late comer. The winner of that privilege received a dangerous smile that made his toes curl. Once seated, she turned that smile to Richard, who sat across from her and knew exactly what she was up to. She practically purred with satisfaction. Charles fidgeted in his seat. And William; the very air around him seemed to suddenly grow as dark as his visage. After the young man's third unnecessary trip to Elizabeth's side, William signaled his butler and had the boy banished to the kitchen to wash dishes. He was rewarded for his pains with a sultry pout that Elizabeth kept up for the rest of dinner. William pushed his plate away and slowly passed his hand over his eyes, trying to master enough control to make it to the end of the meal.

After dinner, the group retired to the second floor drawing room. William made sure to offer Daphne his arm, keeping himself as far away from Elizabeth as possible. She took no notice of his distress, she was having too much fun laughing with Richard. It was a peaceful night, she looked amazing, and it had been a long time since either one of those things had happened. She soaked in the good feeling.

"You are a very bad girl, Lizzy," Richard teased.

"I am, indeed."

"You shouldn't tease young, impressionable men like that, doll."

"You are probably right."

"And you really should find the back of your dress. It seems to have gone missing."

"Can I help it if I'm insanely gorgeous and all you testosterone monsters can't handle it."

Richard rolled his eyes.

"I have to do something to get a little attention around here. Look at Claudia and Kate up there. How is a girl like me supposed to compete with women like that."

Richard stopped and turned to face her, his countenance very serious.

"Elizabeth Bennet, you are a rare thing and you know it. Don't go getting all insecure on me now."

"You're right, Richard. Its just stupid girly feelings getting the best of me."

"I thought we beat that out of you years ago."

In the drawing room, the couples paired off: Charles and Jane, William and Daphne, Richard and the divan. That left Elizabeth alone to peruse the art on the walls and books on the shelves. Someone turned on the stereo and the space was filled with quiet strains of classical music. An hour passed in small talk and remembrances of old times. Elizabeth felt very out of place in this group of long time friends. None of her memories could be shared. So she found her self moving closer and closer to the French doors leading to the balcony, hoping for an escape and a view of the night sky.

The CD in the player changed and the soft strains of Latin music poured from the speakers. Daphne rose from her seat in delight, pulling Richard from the divan.

"Oh, I love this song. Come on, Richard, dance with me. William won't do it, he's an old stick in the mud."

Richard, who could never say no to such a tempting prospect, gladly obliged. Daphne motioned for Charles and Jane to join in and soon the couples were happily dancing to the music in such a fashion that would have made their respective ballroom dance teachers proud. Elizabeth took this moment of distraction to slip out onto the darkened balcony. The music brought back memories for her, of a time when she was on assignment in Argentina. She leaned against the cold stone exterior, enveloped by the dark shadows of the night and lost in a sensual memory of strong arms around her, teaching her to move to the native music of that beautiful country. As the instrumental rendition played on the stereo, Elizabeth sung the words softly in Spanish, her eyes closed. The chords began to build, and she gave herself over completely to the memory and started to sway with the insistent beat. Slowly she moved from the wall and began dancing with the man from her memory, and the more she danced the more solid he became. His shadowy arms tightened around her waist, his warm breath caressed her neck. She moved as one with him, singing to him as he had sung to her that night. It was such a delicious dream and she basked in the warmth of it, despite the bitter cold, until a very real voice broke her reverie.

"You sing beautifully, Elizabeth."

She gasped, realizing that she was in William's arms. She had never lost her senses so completely before.

"Thank you," she managed.

He nodded and, pulling her closer, they danced on in silence until the music changed.

"Oh, the tango! I adore the tango." Daphne pulled Richard into the dance, her form and technique once again flawless.

"Do you tango," William's question drew her attention to the dancing couples in the drawing room.

"Not like that." There was an undeniable smirk in her voice.

"I think they are doing very well."

By way of answer, she broke free from his grasp and stepped away from him, lowering her lashes and moving her hips in time to the beat.

"Oh yes, very proper, very polite," she purred.

He watched her, not sure what she was up to. She walked behind him, resting her hands lightly on his shoulders, and with an agonizing slowness, she slid her right leg up his, until her knee met his hip.

"But who the hell wants to be seduced by Emily Post?" she whispered in his ear.

He grabbed her thigh with his left hand and spun around, pulling her into him hard. Her arms wound around his neck and their eyes met, black obsidian and quicksilver. He took one step back, forcing her to lean into him fully, and so it began. He released her leg, pushing her away and then grabbing her wrist. Spinning her into him, they met, her back to his chest, her left arm swept back around his neck. As one they stepped to the side, one, two, three, four. Again he spun her around, this time chest to chest, grabbing her left thigh and pulling her leg up, his other arm around her back. Slowly she arched backward, dropping her head back, until he pulled her up, eyes meeting again. He released her leg, grabbed her waist and stepped to her right, his legs apart as she quickly and sharply kicked her foot in and out of his legs. A step together, and another spin, her back to his chest, she kicked her right leg back and around his hip. He caught it at her upper thigh, and slowly ran his hand to her knee.

"Naughty boy. I see you don't dance like that either."

His smile was wicked as, again, he turned her to face him. His hands slid down her back to her hips, pulling her into him as he dropped his face to the hollow of her neck, almost brushing it with his lips. Almost, but not quite. He pushed her back and, with a foot of space between them, they mirrored each other's steps in a grapevine pattern. Until she turned and stepped even further away, looking over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. He lunged forward, grabbing her waist and pulling her back, deeper into the shadows of the balcony. All pretense of dancing was gone, as he ran his hand from her throat to her hips in a slow, smooth glide. Her head tilted back to rest on his shoulder as she drank it in. Then, with a firm grasp he turned her, pushing her against the balcony wall. With one hand he reached up and pulled the pins from her hair, letting it fall down in a cascade of curls. He then rested both hands on the wall on either side of her and leaned in, his lips a hairsbreadth away from hers. Her lashes lowered, her lips parted, waiting for him. It was then that she noticed a small red dot moving from his chin up his cheek. Elizabeth shifted gears with blinding speed, tensing every muscle in her body and exploded against him, throwing him on his back and knocking the air out of him. William struggled to catch his breath as she straddled him, burying her hand in his hair and kissing him hard on the lips. He was too stunned to hear the zing of deadly metal connect with aged stone right where his head had been.

Elizabeth had to think quickly, get him in the house and safe without him catching on to what was happening. She looked up toward the open French doors, and saw the other couples still dancing, oblivious to the danger. Her mind raced for ideas. They had to get back up to go into the house, she was sure there was no way she could convince him to crawl back in. So, she thought back to her training. A moving target is hardest to hit. She jumped up and pulled him to his feet, putting a finger to his lips to silence him and smiling mischievously, making it look like a game. She then pushed him in front of her, moving him quickly back into the house and shutting the French doors. She was not a second too soon, as another bullet lodged itself in the door frame behind her. For the moment they were all safe, the heavy curtains covering the glass of the doors obscured any view from the outside.

"Richard."

All eyes turned at the interruption. It was hard not to read the signs of what had transpired between William and Elizabeth. Her hair loose and disheveled, his clothes rumpled and dusty. Richard frowned and excused himself from Daphne.

"What's going on, Elizabeth?"

She stepped closer, lowering her voice, all the while sweeping the room with her eyes. Elizabeth had just hit battle mode doing a hundred miles an hour.

"Richard, we have company. Two shots fired on the balcony, one was almost fatal."

His eyes widened in surprise, then turned to William in concern.

"This is what I need you to do. Get everyone here in the central most part of the house, a room with no windows and one door. Scratch that, go to the wine cellar. That will be the best place all the way around. I am going to get suited up and call the boys. Then I'm going to start a preliminary tour of the premises. Keep your cell phone with you at all times, I will check in as soon as possible with an update. Got it?"

"You're not going out there alone. Not without back up."

"I'm going to do the initial threat analysis, Richard. We have an immediate problem that needs immediate attention and I've already wasted precious seconds standing here bullshitting with you."

Richard nodded, realizing that now was not the time to play at chivalry. Elizabeth was trained to handle this, and he had to let her do her job. He turned and addressed the rest of the room.

"Hey, I've got a great idea. How about moving this party to the wine cellar. I happen to know that William recently purchased some new vintages, and I think now would be a perfect time for a little wine tasting. William?"

William turned to Elizabeth, his eyes hot and confused. What the hell had just happened? She smiled at him encouragingly, like this was the best suggestion she had heard all night and nothing else had happened. What was she playing at?

"William," Daphne rested her hand on his arm, drawing his attention, "that sounds like fun. Shall we?"

William felt Daphne's insistent tug at his arm, moving him toward the door. He turned his head back to Elizabeth, again beseeching her with his eyes.

"Are you coming?"

"No, thank you. Not my thing really. I think I'll turn in for the night." She smiled at him, cool as a cucumber, nothing of the woman that had just nailed him to the ground. His head spun with the rapid changes in her demeanor. She was making him crazy. He had been seconds from ripping her clothes off on that balcony, to hell with who was in the other room. And he felt pretty confident that she wouldn't have minded at that point. Yet without warning she was pushing him back in the drawing room, and then she was deep in conversation with Richard. He could have sworn right then that she looked like a general, giving directions to a subordinate. The light in her eyes, her entire stance, shifted into something foreign to him, something he had never seen in her. And now she was all formal politeness and cool dismissal.

He disengaged himself from Daphne and told the group he would meet them down there in a moment. Richard threw Elizabeth a questioning look. She returned it with a nod of her head, sending him off.

When everyone had left, William strode toward her in long, even, angry steps and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to him roughly and burying his other hand in her hair.

"I will not suffer a tease, Elizabeth."

She shut him up, kissing him with such force he took a step back. And she kept at it, pushing him back through the room, out the door and into the hallway. Finally she let up, and looked him fiercely in the eye.

"Your friends are in the wine cellar. You shouldn't keep them waiting."

Again she had sent him into a tailspin. She lured him in with her kisses then sent him off like a school boy, the only thing missing was the pat on the head. He stared at her in astonishment.

"Go, William."

He relinquished his grip and she moved away from him toward the stairs. He could only stand there and watch her go.

Once out of his line of sight, Elizabeth slipped off her shoes and sprinted the rest of the way to her room. It took her two minutes to throw on her black turtle neck and black cargo pants. The jungle boots took another thirty seconds, then she moved on to strap her handgun around her right thigh. Several small throwing knives were tucked in her back waistband. The sniper rifle would come later with the boys, as well as the communication equipment. She took up her cell phone and dialed Manny's number.

"Speak."

"We've got trouble. I'm going out for a perimeter sweep now."

"Got it. Be there in fifteen."

The boys would be there in fifteen minutes. That would give her enough time to do an initial search for the shooter. She would probably have time to ascertain if he was alone or had help.

Elizabeth cracked her door open and peered out, making sure the hallway was empty. Nothing but dust bunnies. She slipped out of the room and headed toward the stairs. She looked over the balustrade, making sure no one was coming up the steps, then ran down to the next flight and repeated the action. Once she was on the ground level, she headed for the back of the house, and slipped out the servant's entrance. Immediately melding herself to the stone exterior of the house, she merged with the darkness. Quietly, she followed the wall to the side of the house, until the drawing room balcony was above her. She followed a line with her eyes to where the shooter could have been hidden. The landscaping provided a myriad of hiding places. Damn, she was going to need the night vision gear. She backtracked and scouted the house from the other side, looking for signs of activity. Ten minutes later, and no obvious signs of the shooter, she headed to the front of the property, keeping just outside the line of trees, to the head of the drive. A dark vehicle approached slowly with its lights off, and pulled off the road toward the woods. She moved in that direction as the boys exited, each with a substantial pack in his hand. Manny brought her a pack as well, and they all geared up quickly. Sniper rifles were slung over shoulders, voice activated comms systems were hooked to ears and collars, and night vision goggles were pulled over heads. She gave them the whole run down, and then, pointing North, South, East and West, sent them each in a different direction to do some searching in earnest. With the help of the night vision goggles, they would be able to find signs of the shooter much more effectively than Elizabeth had been able to do earlier.

Manny took the eastern route, following the driveway out to the main road and working his way back in toward the property. Not a half mile down he spotted a dark van. He dropped to the ground, and scanned the surrounding area. Everything was lit up the sickly glowing green of the night vision goggles. He could make out two men near the rear of the van, and one more in the stand of trees off the road and to the right of his current position. He quietly spoke into mike, letting the others know of his find.

Moe followed the western route back around the large pond and heavier wooded areas. This seemed a perfect place to hide, with all the available cover, but the pond faced a side of the house that was mostly unused. He scouted the area and came up clean several minutes later. He then moved on toward outer lawn and moved in an army crawl along its edge, looking for any signs of previous visitors.

Jack took the northern route, which brought him through the most open area of the property. He broke through the last line of trees into the sprawling field of grass that lead up to the main fence surrounding the property. He lowered to the ground and army crawled ahead, scanning the area left, right, left looking for movement. Halfway to main lawn he saw movement. Two figures were crouching near a clump of bushes and pointing toward a second story balcony. He saw one carried what looked like a rifle. He spoke into his mike, informing the rest of the party of his find, and moved forward, ready for action.

Elizabeth moved south, back around the way she had come, through the woods Moe had just cleared. Once she reached the house she hugged the wall and headed to the back of the property. She scouted past the garden and headed toward the stables. The horses whinnied softly at the unexpected new comer, and a soft flutter of movement could be heard amongst the hay in the loft above. Elizabeth crouched down and crept to a nearby saddle rack, hiding beneath its dark cover. She scanned the roofline, examining the size and openness of the hayloft. It seemed to take up the full length of the roof, and had two openings, a small one with a ladder further down the breezeway, and a larger one centered not five feet ahead of her. It was a good bet that she had already been spotted. Easing her rifle off her shoulder, she braced herself against the wall of the stall behind her and slipped the goggles to the back of her head. The scope of the high powered rifle brought the dark opening above her into better view as she moved it into place. The kickback was going to hurt like hell, so she didn't want to waste any shots. She panned the visible area above, and finally settled on a dark shape, almost out of her line of sight, and drew a bead on it. Now it was a waiting game, seeing who would flinch first.

Manny played out several scenarios in his mind. He could blow out the tires on the van, bringing all the targets out in plain view, but that would put them more on their guard than he could handle alone. His next option was to drop the guy in the woods and then fire on the other two while they recovered from the surprise. His chances of success were greater, but by the time he dropped the second man, the third would have him in his sights. And he still wasn't sure on the status inside the van. There could be several more men in there. His next option was to throw a grenade, but that would only work as a last resort. Besides being extremely loud, he would have to get a lot closer to get it right where he wanted it. Option two was looking better and better.

Moe was coming up clean everywhere he went. He had hit the main house minutes ago, and decided to head south to see if the boss needed any help

Jack scanned around the area, trying to locate any other targets. The two figures ahead were all he could see. Finding a nice thick bush, he set himself up on his stomach behind it, pushing his goggles on top of his head and putting his rifle to his shoulder. Scope in place, he drew a bead on the enemy. Two men, no other obvious targets. This should be a quick, clean kill.

The dark form in the loft shifted to the left, and Elizabeth's finger twitched ever so slightly on the trigger. She leaned harder into the scope, trying to make out the dark shape above. It was obviously human, from the size and movements, but she could not make out whether it was armed. She shifted a millimeter to her right, hoping to gain a little more perspective. Just then a large mass came hurtling from the stall next to her, grabbing her by the hair and wrenching the rifle from her hand. Her assailant was unable to remove the firearm from her body because of the heavy strap that connected it to her across her shoulder. She was, however, temporarily disarmed. Fortunately, because of her quick reflexes, she was able to reach behind her back and grab one of the throwing knives she had brought along for just such an occasion. She thrust the small blade into the thigh of her attacker, causing him to shrink back in pain. She seized on the moment to regain a grip on her rifle. She did not have time or space enough to bring it up and gain her sights, but she did have time to bring the stock full force across the man's face. She heard a loud snap of bone as hard wood and cold metal connected with living tissue. The man fell forward, out cold. Elizabeth swung the barrel of the gun back to the dark hole above her, wondering why the other attacker had not taken this opportunity to kill her. A low moaning drifted down to her position. She paused for a heartbeat, listening to her surroundings, trying to sense any movement around her, then she reached up and slipped the night goggles back onto her eyes. The figure she had been aiming at was actually a young man, bound and gagged and obviously injured. She sensed a trap. What else was up there, waiting for her?

Manny braced himself on his stomach, rifle at the ready and decision made. He would take out the one in the woods first, so the man could not escape while he fired on the other two. He took aim and fired, and before the first man dropped to the ground, the second found himself with a bullet through the heart. The third had caught on to his predicament after the first shot, and by the second he had dropped and rolled behind the van, out of sight. Manny had been afraid of this. At this point, his next best course of action seemed to be to blow out the tires on the van, ending any hope of a quick escape by his target.

Moe reached the barn just as Elizabeth was identifying the shape in the loft. He spoke into the comms to let her know he was approaching. Once inside the barn, he took her position and she moved to the ladder leading up. Slinging her rifle across her back, she pulled out her handgun and started the climb. Moe covered her, looking for any signs of another enemy. As Elizabeth reached the upper rungs, she hesitated and tensed her muscles, then sprung from the ladder up into the opening, using the element of surprise and the quickness of movement to throw off any would be attackers. She landed in a squatting position, and panned the room with her gun. No signs of life could be detected in the maze of hay stacked in the room, save the wounded man at the other end. Quickly she regained her feet and trotted toward him, maintaining a continuous sweeping motion with her gun barrel. She reached the man without any confrontation, and stooped to check him with one hand. His pulse was strong, and thought she couldn't make much out in the dark, he seemed to only have an abrasion across his temple. It looked like he had been pistol whipped. She spoke to him gently, cut his bindings and pulled him to his feet. Before returning to the lower level, she stood at the edge of the large opening, looking down into the stalls below her for any other signs of life. Nothing but Moe and horses. A good sign. Slowly she and the injured man climbed down the ladder, and upon reaching the floor, Elizabeth took advantage of the light and checked the man's head for further injuries. The man identified himself as a groomer in the stable, and his name was Seth. After a few questions, Seth explained what had happened. He had been cleaning some tack and storing it for the night when he had been hit in the head. That was all he remembered until right before Elizabeth came up and got him. Elizabeth and Moe did another sweep of the stables and, finding everything clear, they headed back toward the house, giving Seth instructions to go straight to the kitchen and wait for them, and not to speak to anyone about the incident. He agreed and went in, glad to be in the safety of the large stone structure.

Jack drew a bead on the with the rifle and fired, then repeated the action on the other man. He then dropped his head down a little farther in anticipation of incoming fire from the surrounding area. Nothing came, so he moved forward slowly until he reached the downed men. He checked each for a pulse and, upon finding none, began searching their bodies for some for of identification.

Moe sent out an update over the comms system, and Jack added his report to the mix. So far the enemy count was three plus the three Manny had a visual on early. The one from the barn they had bound and gagged and locked in a stall until they could question him later. Within five minutes Jack had finished his search of the bodies and met up with Elizabeth and Moe at the car. He handed Elizabeth a few interesting items he had found in the dead men's pockets. She stashed them for later, wanting nothing more right now than to know what was taking Manny so long. She gave him a couple more seconds to respond to her last call, and then she and Jack moved in the direction Manny had taken. Moe waited at the car, in case of an emergency.

Elizabeth and Jack saw the van ahead of them. It looked like two men were down, one near the woods and another near the van. A third was dragging another body toward the back of the van. Jack adjusted his goggles and zoomed in.

"That's Manny he's dragging."

Elizabeth pulled her sniper rifle back over her shoulder and brought the site to her eye. Sure enough, the man being dragged was Manny. She could not tell if he was alive or dead. Either way the one doing the dragging was a dead man. She drew a bead on his forehead and fired, dropping him instantly. Then she and Jack moved cautiously forward, not sure if there were any others inside the back of the van. They each took a side and moved toward the back, guns at the ready. Inch by inch they crept forward until they ran out of side paneling. Elizabeth ventured a quick look around the corner and into the open back of the van. At first glance it looked empty, so she pushed forward a little more, trying to gain a better view. Suddenly the door was pulled shut, and the engine roared to life. Jack snapped his head around, aiming at the drivers seat, just in time to see a man pop up from the seat and grab the wheel. Before Jack could get a shot off the van sped away at a breakneck pace. Elizabeth called for Moe, hoping to catch the van before it got away completely. She looked over to the unmoving body of Manny and took a deep breath. Jack was already at his side, checking for a pulse. She tensed, waiting for the dire news.

"He's weak, but he's with us."

She let out a deep sigh and raised her eyes toward the heavens in silent thanks. Moe approached in the car and stuck his head out of the window.

"Lets go."

"Jack, get him back to the house. We're going to go clean the rest of this up."

"Got it."

Elizabeth jumped into the passenger side of the car and immediately rolled down the window. She braced her rifle against her shoulder, and over the side mirror on the door.  
Moe pushed the car to its limit, gaining on the speeding van ahead. Once they were within shooting range, Elizabeth leaned out of the window, gun to her shoulder and bracing herself against the dashboard and seat. She took aim and blew out the back right tire. The van swerved violently, but regained the road and kept on. Taking aim again, Elizabeth fired at the left back tire but missed. Cursing, she took aim again, just as both vehicles reached a curve in the road. Moe reached out and grabbed her by the waistband of her pants, keeping her in the car as he turned the wheel sharply, following the road. For a split second she had a perfect sight on the driver. She fired, hoping she hit her mark. The van lurched and swung sharply to the left, off the road and into a ditch. Moe pulled up behind it and they both jumped out, rushing the back of the van. They threw the doors open and swept the interior with their guns. Empty. Elizabeth moved toward the front of the van, making sure no one else was in the front seat. The driver was slumped over the wheel, a clean shot to the head. Moe helped her move the body to the back of the van.

"I'll drive this back. Meet me there and we can load all the bodies in the back. You tied up the one in the barn, right?"

"Yes, boss."

"Okay, we'll go get him when we've taken care of the others. Maybe we can get some information out of him. If not, we can send him to Villanova."

They drove back to where they originally spotted the van and loaded the bodies into the back, then moved by foot to pick up the two Jack had taken care of. This dirty task done, they moved the van farther down the road and off into the tree line, hoping to conceal it until later when a team could come down from headquarters and take it in for inspection and clean up. Elizabeth placed a call to Villanova, giving a quick brief and requesting a crew.

All bases were now covered, and Moe went off to the stable to try to get some information out of their hostage. Elizabeth took a deep breath, the adrenaline starting to wear off. She moved through the house and into the kitchen.

There, on the huge butcher block table in the middle of the spacious kitchen, lay one of her best friends in all the world. Jack had stripped Manny down to his skivvies and draped a table cloth over his hips. By the time Elizabeth entered the kitchen, Jack had identified the problem. It had been a struggle to get Jack on their team so many years ago, as he was the best field medic in the Marine Corp. Every commander wanted him, and Elizabeth got him. And she was never more grateful for that than she was right now.

"What's the diagnosis, Doc?"

"Well, he's been shot in the upper left shoulder, and has one nasty cut on the back of his head. I pulled a tranquillizer dart out of his thigh, that's why he's out. I don't have access to a lab, so I have no idea how much he has in him, but I'm thinking that it will work in our favor. I can get that bullet out and stitch up his head while he's doped up."

Elizabeth nodded and helped Jack turn Manny over. A few moments later, Moe entered the kitchen.

"I can't get anything out of the hostage. We're going to have to send him to the big guns, see what they can get out of him."

"Okay. Help Jack out here a second, will you? I've got to get Richard."

"Wait, don't go."

Jack, Moe and Elizabeth all drew their sidearms in perfect synchronization at the sound of the woman's voice. Daphne stepped out of the pantry, visibly shaking, but still brave enough to step forward under such deadly circumstances.

"Its fine boys, she's okay." Elizabeth gave the order and put her gun away. Daphne sighed in relief.

"What are you doing down here, Daphne? Its past midnight."

Daphne's voice trembled as she answered Elizabeth's question.

"Well, it's a funny story really. I came down here to sneak a couple of the sugar cookies I know that Mrs. Reynolds keeps on the top shelf. And I was in the pantry when that man," she pointed to Jack, "brought that unconscious one in. I was scared, so I hid in there until I heard your voice and then I thought I was safe. But now, I'm not so sure, Elizabeth. What's going on?"

A low moan came from Manny, and Jack stopped what he was doing. Elizabeth rushed to the table and sat on her heels to be as near to his face as possible.

"Manny, are you waking up?"

Another moan came from his throat and his eyes fluttered just a little.

"Manny, are you with us?"

"Boss…" the word came out in a whisper.

"Yes, I'm right here."

"Did you get them all."

Elizabeth chuckled lowly at his question. The man was a machine with a one track mind.

"Yes, Manny, we got them all. You took a bullet in the shoulder. Jack needs to get it out. Okay?"

Manny was disoriented and tried to push himself up from the table. Moe and Jack both caught him before he rolled himself to the floor. Elizabeth took his face in her hands and spoke firmly, trying to get her words to seep through the drugged haze in his mind.

"Ramirez! Lay your ass down. Jack is gonna pull the bullet. Do you hear me? Be still."

Daphne watched the whole exchange, her nursing instincts kicking in at the sight of blood running down the big man's back. She saw that the blonde one was acting as the doctor, though she had no idea what his skill in such an endeavor might be. She didn't know if these people were good or bad, all she knew was that a man laid injured before her and she knew how to help. She swallowed her fear and stepped forward, addressing the group.

"I am a nurse. Please let me help you."

A huge weight lifted from Jack's shoulders. The instant Manny started to wake up, he was sure things were going to get difficult. He knew that Moe and Elizabeth would help hold Manny down if he started thrashing, but he needed help getting that bullet out and stitching the wounds.

"Wash up and get over here. He's going to fight us until the rest of the tranquilizer wears off."

Daphne did just that, feeling the panic slip away as she threw herself into the task.

Manny lived up to Jack's expectations brilliantly. He thrashed around like a bull, and it was more than Moe and Elizabeth could do to keep him still.

"Daphne, go get Richard." Elizabeth commanded as she tried to pin down Manny's strong legs.

Daphne fled the room, returning with Richard just moments later.

"What the hell is going on here."

"Long story, Fitzwilliam, get over here and help hold Manny down," Moe ordered.

Richard took Elizabeth's spot at Manny's feet and used his body weight to pin Manny's legs down. He saw the blood running from Manny's shoulder and head and looked up into Elizabeth's worried eyes. He asked how bad it was with a look, and she nodded in response, letting him know it wasn't fatal.

With Manny under a little better restraint, Jack and Daphne attempted to remove the bullet. Manny jerked again, throwing Richard completely off.

Moe, who was holding his shoulders and arms down, got in Manny's face.

"Gunny, knock this shit off and suck it up."

Elizabeth paced the room, almost sick with worry. Again Moe and Richard took their places and Jack made another attempt to remove the bullet. Again Manny threw them all off.

"Damn it, Manny!" The men yelled in unison.

"He's irrational from the drugs. Let me see if I can talk him down." Daphne knelt down and put her hand on Manny's cheek, stroking it softly and brushing the hair from his brow. She spoke to him in low, calming tones, asking him to be still and let them help him. Slowly, his body relaxed. He opened his eyes and tried to focus on her face. 

"There you are, hello," Daphne smiled.

"Hi."

"Can you see me okay?"

"Blurry."

"That's okay, just keep looking at me and here, hold my hand. That's it. Now, keep looking at me and lets talk."

She nodded to Jack, and he tried again to get the bullet. Manny tensed, his face grimacing in pain.

"Oh, man, you are tough. What's your name?"

"Manny."

"I'm Daphne. I don't think, Manny, that I've ever seen a tattoo quite like the one here on your arm. Where did you get that?"

"Korea." He groaned as Jack dug deeper into the wound. But Daphne kept on talking, bringing his focus away from the pain as much as she could.

"Really, its beautiful. Is it a phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Risen from the ashes. Kind of like you right now, Manny."

He tried to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace.

"You know, Manny, once we have you put back together again, I know where you and I can get the best sugar cookies ever made. Do you like cookies?"

"Sure."

"I love them. As a matter of fact, that's what brought me down here to begin with. You never get too old for cookies and milk. But I would like to share them with someone who truly appreciates them. Would you do that with me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Manny. You are a true gentleman."

Manny jerked again as Jack, having finally gotten around the bullet, began pulling it out.

"Squeeze my hand, Manny and let him get it out. Don't worry, you won't hurt me, just squeeze. That's it, good job. See, there, its out. Its all downhill from here. Just a little bit of medicine and some stitches. The worst is over."

Manny released her hand and put his on her cheek. His deep chocolate eyes finally clear and alert. The worst of the drugs had worn off, and he looked at her and smiled.

"Thank you."

She melted. Who was this man?

"You're welcome. Don't forget, you promised. Cookies when this is over."

He nodded, smiling at her again. She rose from her position to help Jack with the sutures.

Elizabeth melted into the shadows and watched, her mind a tumult of emotions. Manny had never been so injured before, and she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach as if she were a scared little girl seeing her father hurt for the first time. Manny was a hero to her, always there on his white horse to save her when she needed him, but now he was down and she could only sit by and do nothing. Another woman had taken on what she could not, and she didn't know exactly how she felt about that. Manny was like and extension of herself, a part of her being. And in one fell swoop another had come in and claimed the light in his eyes. She examined her heart for a moment. Did she love him? Yes, but not in the romantic sense of the word. She loved him more than family, but less than a lover, a gray area somewhere in between. She saw now that he wasn't hers to make that kind of claim on, that things wouldn't always be the way they had been, just the four of them riding the winds, tempting fate, playing God. She felt a small bit of herself fall away as she watched Manny touch Daphne's cheek, knowing him well enough to know that Daphne had sparked something inside of him that no other woman ever had.

Jack finished up the last of the sutures and dressed the wounds, while Moe gave Richard the run down on the night's events. Daphne took a moment to slip away, joining Elizabeth in her secluded corner of the room.

"Well, I don't know what to say really. This whole thing has been pretty mind blowing. I guess what I need to know, if I may know, is what are your intentions with William?"

Of all the questions she could have asked, that was the last one Elizabeth expected.

"To do my job and save his life."

Daphne looked at her with compassion, sensing that Elizabeth was in a hard place right now.

"Listen, I've pretty much figured out what's going on. Someone tried to shoot William tonight and you all protected him. So, that answers the immediate question of whether you are the good guys or the bad guys. But, what, Elizabeth, are your personal intentions toward William?"

"I have none."

"You may not, but believe me, he has some for you."

Elizabeth looked at Daphne, really seeing her for the first time. Could it be that they both were in the same place, watching something that was once theirs transfer to the other?

"Any feelings I may have for William are irrelevant, Daphne. When this job is over, I retire. That means, no matter what the outcome, I am as good as dead to everyone who knows me. There's no happy ending for him and me."

Daphne watched Elizabeth's face become hard with restrained feelings. She wondered if this woman realized that once William wanted something, there was no telling him otherwise. Maybe she should just let her find that out on her own.

"Daphne, those boys are my family. Please, please be careful with…"

She choked on the words. Daphne reached out and took her hand.

"We're not so different, you and I."

Elizabeth nodded, squeezing her hand.


	9. Chapter 9 complete

**Holy Crap, batman! Here, months after this story is finished, I realize I only posted half of chapter 9. I am sorry. Here is the complete chapter 9 which should make the things a little more understandable. Dang it, you guys should have yelled at me.**

**Chapter Nine **

Jack and Moe helped Manny to sit up on the butcher block, as Elizabeth and Daphne returned to the group, both relieved that he was more lucid. They all began discussing the next course of action while Daphne went to the pantry in search of the promised cookies. Elizabeth had already placed the call to Villanova and the van in the woods would be handled by a clean up crew from the Agency. Jack would take care of the mess in the kitchen while Moe packed and stowed the gear in the car, and then, as soon as Manny had his legs under him, they would head back to town. Richard gave Manny an inquiring look, and he returned it with a small, affirming nod. They had finished bugging Elizabeth's apartment.

Elizabeth looked around the room, aware that something was missing.

"Hey, where's Seth?"

"Oh, I cleaned him up and sent him home. Gave him the usual 'You tell anyone what you've seen tonight, we'll hunt you down and kill you' speech."

Daphne, having returned with the cookies, tensed at Jack's statement, her earlier fears reemerging.

"He's kidding, Daphne. He told Seth what we'll tell you. In the interest of national security, we request that you do not discuss anything you have seen or heard tonight with anyone who is not in the room with you now. It protects you as well as us."

Daphne smiled a little and relaxed as she approached Manny with her stolen confections. They spent the better part of an hour getting to know each other as Jack and Moe went about the business of cleaning up. Richard pulled Elizabeth away and got a full briefing, then sent her off to bed.

Elizabeth, making it to her room unseen, closed the door and leaned against it, the last dregs of her energy seeping from her. What a ride, she thought as she forced herself to remove her gear and clothes and stow them back in the black bag. She threw on a tank top and some flannel pajama bottoms and fell into the bed, too tired to even turn off the light.

William sat in the dimly lit wine cellar, trying to come to grips with the evening's events. Slowly he turned Elizabeth's steel pins in his fingers, following the intricate carvings with his eyes. Everyone else had gone off to bed hours ago, and still he sat here, thinking, staring, twirling. He marveled at the sharpness of the points, pondering what madness it was that she wore these in her hair, so close to her scalp. Everything about her was dangerous: the tessen, the pins, the sword fight, the dress tonight. He stood up and looked at his watch. Three a.m., he should go to bed. He put the pins in his breast pocket and left the cellar, making his way to the staircase that lead to the second floor and his bedroom. Four large rooms, each with its own bath, made up the guest wing that lay to the right of the stairs. William paused on the first step and looked down the hall, thinking of her. A light shown from under her door. She was still awake, maybe he should return the pins. Maybe they could talk about tonight. Maybe they could just pick up where they left off.

He moved down the hall and put his hand on her door, giving himself one last chance to change his mind. Slowly, it swung open, making the decision for him.

"Elizabeth, excuse me, the door wasn't shut. I just wanted to return…"

Click.

William froze, fear seizing his heart with an iron fist. A wild woman sat before him, next to the dresser with her back pressed to the wall and a gun pointed right between his eyes. Hair hung over most of her face, but he could make out one wide, feral eye staring at him. Her breathing was ragged and shaky, but the gun was steady in her hand.

"Elizabeth?"

His voice was a choked whisper, but it sank in. A small light of recognition in her eyes became a beacon of returned sanity as she came fully to her senses. She looked at the gun in her hand and quickly put it down to her side, trying to hide the offensive object under the dresser.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you."

William was at a complete loss. Elizabeth rose slowly, pushing her hair back from her face. The hem of her shirt had ridden up a little, and William's eye caught a glimpse of a scar across her abdomen before she pulled it down. He took a deep breath.

"I saw your light was on and I thought you were still awake. I have your pins."

"I forgot to turn the light off before I fell asleep."

"Is that how you sleep?" He was incredulous.

"Its not how I start, but its always how I end up."

"Why?"

Elizabeth laughed nervously and looked away, feeling very vulnerable. William took a step forward.

"Why, Elizabeth? What are you afraid of?"

"The dark."

"The dark?"

"The dark hole, the daily beatings, the starvation, the…" she swallowed hard, not going any further.

He had her in his arms before she even knew what hit her, and held her as the dam broke behind her eyes. She made no sound, she just shook and cried as he stroked her hair and held her. When he felt her tension subside after some minutes, he led her to the bed and sat with her.

"When was this?"

She started off slowly, telling him only the parts that would not give her away. A flash of guilt ran through her as she gave the official version of her trip to Turkey, how she went there to write an article about the local food, how there was a misunderstanding and of her subsequent incarceration. She couldn't tell him about Yushenkov, she rationalized. But she shared everything about her time in the prison with him, things she had told no other living soul, and he listened.

They sat in silence for a few moments after she finished her story, then he rose and looked at her. He removed his dinner jacket and tie and laid them on the end of the bed. His shoes and socks were next. She watched him apprehensively, not understanding what he was up to. He moved to the other side of the bed and laid down, propping his back against the headboard.

"Come here," he stretched his arms out to her.

"What?"

"Come here."

She crawled over to him and he drew her into his chest.

"Tonight, you will sleep in a bed, as you deserve. You will wake in the morning as you fell asleep in the night, in bed."

She pulled back and looked at him. His smile was a comfort, and she laid her head back down and fell asleep to the gentle rhythm of his heart beat and the stroke of his hand on her hair.

The early morning light stole into the room, edging its way across the floor. Elizabeth's eyes opened and she took mental inventory. Dresser to the right, door to the left, bed beneath her. Scratch that, devastatingly handsome man beneath her. She lifted her head to look at him.

"Good morning, princess."

"Good morning, knight in shining armor."

He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled. "I've never had a woman so desperate to get out of my bed before."

"Did I keep you up all night?"

"It was a torture I'd gladly suffer again and again."

"Darn your pretty words."

He ran a thumb along her cheek bone. "Are you alright now?"

"Sure. It only hurts at night."

He watched her, his eyes troubled. She suffered and yet she laughed. He suffered and he buried himself in work to hide from the world.

"You worked a miracle, William. Months of therapy could not do for me what you did in one night. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure."

"Now, the true test will be seeing where I wake up tomorrow morning."

Faster than lightening he kissed her. He kissed her long and hard, until all sense left her head. Her heart danced a jig in her ribcage, her blood quickstepping through her veins. He rolled her to her back, pinning her hip with his hand. Slowly he let up.

"Up the stairs, first hall to the left, last room on the right."

Now was the time when a woman of the world would say something equally seductive and inspiring.

"Huh?"

A smug smile played at his lips. Finally, she was as worked up and empty headed as he had been for weeks. He rose from the bed and gathered his things, looking at his watch.

"Breakfast is in an hour, Elizabeth. Mrs. Reynolds doesn't like it when people are late."

She chucked a pillow in his general direction.

"I guess I was safe last night after all. You are a terrible shot."

The second pillow hit him fully in the face. He ran from the room before she could hurl another, laughing to himself all the way to his room.

Mrs. Reynolds watched as William climbed the stairs two at a time, happier than she had seen him in ages. She had noticed that he had come from the general direction of the guest wing. So, that darling Daphne had managed to bring a smile to his face once again. Good, she thought with contentment. What a wonderful addition to the family that girl would be.

Daphne pulled William aside after breakfast, asking him for a moment alone. They took their cups of coffee and moved upstairs to the drawing room where they could talk in private for a little while, as everyone else seemed to be engaged downstairs. They sat together on the sofa before the fireplace with the easy comfort of old friends. Daphne took advantage of that closeness to jump right to the point.

"William, I think you and I have been friends long enough that we can be completely honest with each other. Do you agree?"

"Yes, Daphne, of course."

"Then I think I can speak for both of us when I say that the time we have spent together recently has been a sort of testing of the waters, to see if there was anything left there from before."

William shifted uncomfortably. He felt a pang of guilt that could only be explained by the fact that he had not given Daphne a moment's thought since the last time he had been in this room. And now he was going to be called on the carpet for it, with no idea how he would be able to explain his sudden case of inattentiveness. She noticed his discomfort.

"Don't worry, William. I have no intention of making some kind of claim on you. We both knew after lunch at the club that we had changed and drifted. I will always love and admire you, Will. You are one of my very dearest friends. But I think that you and I have outgrown each other in the romantic sense. And besides, I think your eye has been caught by someone else."

His mouth opened and closed like a swinging door, a hundred sentences dying on his tongue before they even started. Daphne continued, full steam ahead, not wanting to lose her momentum.

"She's beautiful and smart. I like her a lot. But, William, I don't think this one is going to sit around and wait for you to take the plunge. If you like her, and from everything I've seen since I've been here I am sure you do, then you better snatch her up now before its too late."

She smiled and patted his arm, then left the room to let him think about what she had said. He sat, fused to the sofa, not exactly sure what hit him. Mrs. Reynolds found him here several minutes later as she came in to air our the room.

"Oh, William dear, I didn't see you. What are you doing in here all alone? You should be down with your guests."

"Mrs. R, do you remember the necklace that Grandmother used to wear? The small cameo? Do we still have that somewhere?"

"Yes, dear, its with your mother's jewelry. What brought that to mind?"

"I need it. I am going to make a gift of it. Could you bring it out for me?"

She left the room and returned a few moments later with the mahogany box containing his mother's jewels. She then sat on the sofa next to him, handing him the box, her heart full of joy at the news. He was finally going to move on with his life and pursue some happiness.

"I think that would make a lovely gift, son. You know, your grandmother told me the story of that necklace long ago, and being the old softy that I am, it always stuck with me. Your grandparents met at a party at the house of a mutual acquaintance, and had fallen into easy conversation. And over the next few weeks they had spent time together and become friends. But she was promised to another, and your grandfather was going off to war. So they agreed to stay in touch, but nothing more. Well, not long after he shipped out, she discovered her intended was dallying with another woman, so she broke it off. She gave some long hard thought to her life and found that she loved your grandfather, and wrote to him, telling him so. But she never heard back. She didn't know if she had scared him off or if something bad had happened to him. Either way she was heartsick about it for several months. Then one day there was a knock on her door, and there on her step stood your grandfather. He had been wounded and in the infirmary for months and had not been aware enough to write. But here he was if she'd have him. And then he took out that necklace and gave it to her. He told her he had bought it over there because the face in the cameo reminded him of her, and he had kept it in the pocket of his uniform, near his heart, always. Then he pointed out the dent in the rim of gold and told her that it deflected some shrapnel from a mortar bomb and had probably saved his life. They were married a week later."

She dabbed a tear from her eye as she finished the story and patted his arm. "Its my dearest wish that you and Miss Daphne will have a love as deep as that."

William started at her statement. "Daphne?"

"Why yes, boy. I saw you come from her room this morning. I am happy to see you renewing that relationship. She's a good girl, and I heartily approve."

"Not Daphne."

Her face pursed into a frown, not liking where this may be leading.

"William, you've been raised better than to be pursuing the wife of your best friend. Surely you don't mean my Jane."

"NO! Of course not!"

Her look became black. That left only one other.

"No. Not the dark haired one."

He breathed deeply, preparing himself to finally voice aloud what he had been feeling.

"Yes. Elizabeth."

"I don't like her, William."

"Why ever not?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but she's not what she seems."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Well, she can look like a lady on the outside, but she has a very sassy mouth, and I swore I saw her running down the hall in that dress she had on last night. And, well, I just have a feeling."

"A feeling?"

"Yes, just a little something in the pit of my stomach every time I see her that says "Bess, she's come to take your boy away from you.' Why can't you just settle on Miss Daphne like you ought? She's perfect for you."

William chuckled and put his arm around her. "Wouldn't it be great if I could just marry the perfect woman and have the perfect family and we all live happily ever after in our wonderful fairy tale life?"

She smacked his arm, "Yes, actually, it would and you could have that life if you would just put that vixen out of your head and do your duty. Do you think you are the first powerful man to be tempted by the idea of a simpler life and the swish of a curvy hip? No. Your own father had just such a temptation before he settled on your mother. Think how different everything would be if he had chosen a fleeting romance over his duty to his family. And he and your mother were very happy together. You can have the same, William. Don't let a little flirtation sway you from your responsibility to your family."

"Daphne has moved on, Mrs. R., and honestly, so have I. And Elizabeth is more than she seems, I agree. But how is that a negative? She's intelligent, and beautiful, and strong, but somehow very fragile. She's been hurt badly, and I want to help her, I want to make it better for her. I'm not asking her to marry me, I just want to give this a chance to see where it might go. Why is that bad? And how is she a poorer choice for me than a woman like Daphne? She's no less capable of being a corporate wife, she's my assistant for God's sake, who could possibly be a better partner in life for me than someone who understands what I go through at work everyday? This isn't the dark ages, and I don't have to marry an heiress to keep the family afloat. Can't for just once in my life I find some happiness for myself?"

"I don't want to see you go through any more hurt, son. You've been through enough for three lifetimes and I tell you, I see nothing but trouble coming from that girl. But, I love you, William, and if you have your heart set on her, I won't be the one to stand in your way. Just don't say you've not been warned. Use your head, boy, before you make any rash decisions. And if you can promise me that much, I'll give you my blessing, not that you need it."

She hugged him and went out, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He set the box on a table and walked out to the balcony, breathing in the fresh air and looking out across the grounds. This was his family's ancestral home, brought stone by stone from Derbyshire in England to America by his great great grandfather who, sensing a greater investment opportunity, had moved the bulk of the family business to the states and couldn't bear to leave the great house behind. He felt connected here, at peace. He breathed deeply and turned back to go back inside when, as he grasped the handle of the door, a dark hole in the wood caught his attention. Embedded in the hole was a metal object that he found no rational explanation for being there. Why was there a bullet in his balcony door? Again and again he looked at it, unable to make sense of it. Thinking one of the grooms may have been messing around with the hunting rifles when he was in town, he made a mental note to talk to his staff about it later.

Richard looked on as Elizabeth and Jane walk out to the garden after breakfast. He wanted to talk to Elizabeth and see how she was holding up after the pandemonium the night before. Right now she looked refreshed, and that was a good sign. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a soft leather pouch. He opened it and pulled out what looked like a small black dot as he waited for the women to return from their walk, thinking the best place to hide the bug would be on the necklace she always wore. It was the final step in setting up surveillance on her, but a very necessary one. She could be a maverick, and the last thing any of them wanted to happen was to loose her again. As the women entered the house, he pulled Elizabeth aside and asked how she was feeling.

"I'm good, Richard. Nothing to report."

"Do you feel strong, Lizzy? No cracks in the armor?"

"No cracks. A little stiff here and there but that's about it."

He looked down at her necklace and reached for it, gripping it in his thumb and forefinger as he pushed the bug into place on the backside of the black onyx pendant.

"Villanova gave you this, right?"

"Yes, after I finished survival school."

"Black onyx. Is it symbolic of anything?"

"Well, Villanova said it was black to remind me of the hole they would throw me in if I ever screwed up a mission."

Richard laughed, dropping the pendant back into place. "Typical Villanova, a gift and a threat."

"Yes, heavy on the threat."

"I'm proud of you, Lizzy. You are doing a good job, I just want you to know that."

"Thank you, Richard."

He patted her arm and walked away, sighing in relief that he had accomplished his task undetected.

The rest of the day went by without incident. Elizabeth took some time to sneak off and clean her gun, having just stuffed it in the bag with her gear the night before. She thought about the evening with William as she dismantled the weapon and cleaned it. She also thought about how they were going to keep him in sight for the rest of the weekend, in case of another attack. She was fairly sure no other attempt would be made at Pemberley since they were now on their guard, but you could never be too safe. This meant that Richard would be shadowing William for the rest of their stay, and she would be keeping an eye out for anything suspicious around the grounds and house. Maybe a quick check of his closet and under his bed was in order. Maybe a quick check under his covers was, too. She chuckled at the nasty bent her mind was taking and redirected her thoughts to the business at hand. Under his covers, indeed!

The dinner hour came and everyone assembled in the dining room, as resplendently attired as the night before. Except for Elizabeth, who was noticeably absent. William sat at the head of the table, dreading a repeat performance from the previous evening, knowing that if she sauntered in wearing another dress like the black one, dinner would be over and no one would see either one of them for the remainder of the weekend. But the minutes flew by and still no sign of her. Neither Jane nor Richard had seen her since that morning. Finally the butler moved to William's ear and asked how long they should hold the first course. William instructed them to begin serving his guests, but excused himself to go find her. He passed a maid on his way to the guest wing and asked if she had seen Mrs. Reynolds, but was answered in the negative. Now he was worried. Had Mrs. Reynolds decided to take matters into her own hands and have a talk with Elizabeth? He found himself outside her door, his hand poised to knock, when he heard raised voices from within. Forgetting propriety, he threw the door open and stared at the sight before him in disbelief. Elizabeth and Mrs. Reynolds, cackling like a couple of hens, were trying to get a pair of muddy boots off Elizabeth's feet, which was no small task as Elizabeth was coated in mud from head to toe and Mrs. Reynolds was getting dirtier by the minute in her effort to help. Yet, neither woman seemed to care about their appearance as they laughed and laughed at their predicament. Elizabeth was the first to notice their unexpected visitor.

"Oh, William, sorry. I'm just… we're just… do you think I'm dressed enough for dinner?"

The women fell into peals of laughter again, each cracking wise about the state of her attire for Christmas Eve dinner. William couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before him.

"Here, Mrs. Reynolds, I'll do that, you get cleaned up and look after dinner. I think I can handle a pair of boots."

Mrs. Reynolds wiped the tears from her eyes and looked him up and down. "I'm sure you can, but you'll ruin your good dinner jacket with all that mud."

"Then I guess I'll have to buy a new one. Besides, there's no way she's going to be ready before dinner is over, so please fix her a plate in the kitchen, and bring mine in there as well. And, please, tell everyone that we'll meet them upstairs after."

She nodded her head and left the room, her shoulders shaking in barely suppressed laughter.

William turned his attention back to Elizabeth. "Good Lord, woman, what have you done to yourself."

"Well, now that's a funny story. You see I went out for a ride.."

"You went for a ride? I didn't know you knew how. You should have found me, I would have been glad to go along."

"Well, yes, but you were busy upstairs and I just wanted to take a look around the property…"

"Oh," he frowned a little, "well, that's too bad. I would have liked to have shown it to you myself, to see how you liked it."

"Well, maybe we can go tomorrow, because to be honest, all I paid attention to was the first hundred feet or so outside the stables. I went into the barn and asked one of your grooms if I could go out for a ride, and, well, see the one named Seth must have thought I was a better rider than I actually am, because he gave me a horse that likes to jump around a lot…"

"Seth gave you Diablo?"

"Oh, no, don't blame him. I think he thought I could handle that big, black devil. You know, you should race that sucker, he's really fast. Anyway, Seth saddled your demon horse for me and I climbed up, and well, everything was fine for the first hundred feet outside the stable. That's when the bear came out and scared us…"

"Bear! What bear?"

"The big black shaggy thing you call a dog, but the rest of humanity calls a bear."

"Fredrick?"

"Okay, if that's what you want to call it, but for the purposes of this story, its name is bear. So, big, black and jumpy wasn't expecting a visit from big, black and shaggy any more than I was and he decided to show me just how high he could jump. Up he goes and back I go, the only thing keeping me on is my solid grip on the saddle horn. Good thing I insisted on a western saddle and not that scary English thing. Well, your demon horse comes down and takes off, a hundred miles an hour, and I'm hanging on for dear life, gripping the saddle horn and trying to throw a leg back over, and just as I have myself almost pulled up, hell horse skids to a stop and jumps to the right. And so, as I'm flying into the air, I'm thanking the sweet Lord Jesus that the horse pulled up as short as he did and I only landed on the muddy bank of the pond and not in the freezing water. By now Seth and three other men from the stable are coming our way and grab the horse before he takes off again. Then, just as I'm getting up and checking myself for any broken bones, down I go once more because the bear decides that I am certainly not dirty enough. You really need to put him on a diet, he weighs a ton. So much for my ride around the property, though I must say your pond is very pretty. Of course, the whole embarrassing situation would not be complete without an audience, which, besides all your staff from the stable, was witnessed by Mrs. Reynolds who watched the whole thing from the kitchen window. She helped me back into the house, and we had a good laugh over it as you saw for yourself. But I'm still stuck in these darn boots. Do you think you could quit laughing your tail off and help out here?"

William obliged and soon had her feet free from the filthy things. He brushed himself off as best he could, then pulled her up from the chair she was slumped in and started to help her unbutton her shirt. Neither realized what he was doing until he had it half undone and the sharp outline of the scar on her abdomen was visible. Elizabeth quickly pulled the shirt closed and took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to help you get out of those dirty clothes," William stammered.

"No, its okay, I know. I can do it, though. I don't need any more help."

William lowered his eyes and blushed a little, embarrassed by his overly familiar actions. But a burning question kept him from leaving immediately.

"The scar on your stomach, is that from Turkey?" He posed the question quietly.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

He thought to himself that he should leave it at that, but he couldn't. The scar was long and looked like the injury had been deep. He could not fathom what kind of pain this woman had been through in her life, to bear this kind of mark.

"Can I ask where you got it?"

"I'd rather you didn't right now. Maybe we can talk about it another time, but not now, please."

He smiled and nodded, letting that be enough for the moment. "I'll wait for you in the kitchen. Just come there when you are all cleaned up and we'll have dinner."

He opened the door to leave.

"William."

He turned.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled as he left the room.

Elizabeth walked into the kitchen, as fresh as a daisy, half an hour later. William waited for her at the table, glass of wine in hand. He poured another glass for her as she took the seat across from him, and Mrs. Reynolds brought their dinner. It was a pleasant meal, and they chatted comfortably about family and growing up. Elizabeth shared stories about her father and his love of people watching, and how he had a job that took him all over the world.

"What kind of work is your father in?"

"Well, he was an analyst, but now he's retired."

"An analyst, that sounds interesting. What company did he work for?"

'The CIA."

William blinked. That wasn't a phrase you heard every day.

"Okay, wow."

"Yeah, well, from what he's said, the job itself was far less glamorous than it sounds. He always told us that the only reason he stayed with it was because he got to travel. My father loved going to other countries and sampling other ways of life. That's how he met my mother."

Mrs. Reynolds came and took their empty plates as William took off his tie and swung another chair around to put his feet up on.

"I'd like to hear that story."

"Well, my father was stationed in England in the late sixties, and there was a pub near his flat that he liked to frequent after work. He would sit at a table in the back with his journal and a pint of cider and scribble notes and sketch faces as the people would come and go. Man, how I used to love looking at his journals when I was a kid. He's witty, my dad, and quite the artist. He really missed his calling there. But, I digress…"

She broke off her story as Richard entered the kitchen.

"Hey, you crazy kids, I thought you were going to meet us upstairs after you ate? Its been over an hour."

"Oh, sorry. Elizabeth was just telling me about how her parents met. Do you know this story?"

"No, but it sounds interesting. Mind if I join you?"

William motioned for him to pull up a chair, and Richard joined them after loosening his tie and pouring himself some wine.

"So, anyway, my dad noticed one day that he had spent a lot of time watching a certain blond and buxom waitress at said pub, and much to his chagrin, drawing her. And he really knew he had it bad when he reread the sap he had been writing about her…"

Again she paused as Daphne entered the kitchen.

"Oh, so I see that the party is in here and I wasn't invited. Such snobbery."

"Here Daph, have a chair and a glass. Lizzy's talking about how her parents met," Richard motioned to another empty chair. Daphne took the chair, kicked off her shoes and poured herself some wine.

"Dad noticed that the woman of his dreams would only give him the time of day if there were no men in uniform on the premises. So, on a Tuesday night, a night when the pub was usually dead, Dad decided he was going to get up the nerve to ask her out. But, as luck would have it, a group of RAF boys popped in for a drink…"

"And you can imagine what kind of apoplectic state our mother was in with so many uniforms before her," Jane's laughter rang out as she and Charles joined the group. They seated themselves as well, grabbed some wine and made themselves comfortable.

"I love this story, Lizzy. Go on," Jane prodded.

"So, Dad waited until the flyboys stumbled out the door, which was many hours later because those guys can drink. Then he called Mom over to the table and said, 'You know, Fanny, a man doesn't have to wear a uniform to serve his country.' And then Mom said…"

At this point Elizabeth raised her eyebrow at Jane, who broke out in a perfect English accent and dead on imitation of her mother, "Oh, and just what is it that you do that's so important?"

Elizabeth gave her sister a wink and repeated her father's words, "I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you."

"And then he smacked her on the bum and walked out the door," Jane continued.

"I can just imagine your mother's reaction to that," Charles sputtered.

"Mr. Bennet!" Jane and Elizabeth screeched in harmony.

Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

"Ahhh," Elizabeth sighed as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Dad didn't end up asking her for a date that night, but she asked him the next, and well, the rest is history."

Several more hours were spent with good wine and happy conversation. Elizabeth soaked it up, enjoying the best Christmas holiday she had had in a long time. Unlike the night before, she finally felt a part of the group, and she liked it. Funny how much can change in a day.

As the hour grew late and everyone rose to head toward bed, William held Elizabeth back. When they were alone, he looked at her, not sure how to say what he wanted to say. All evening, in the back of his mind, he had been trying to work out what his next move should be. And now, as they stood together, he still was no closer to a solution. So, he opted to say nothing, instead he just placed her hand in the crook of his arm and lead her out of the room, up the stairs, first hall to the left, last room on the right.

William must have been a very good boy that year, because Santa had rewarded him handsomely. He smiled as he woke with the early morning light, relishing the comfort of the soft and fragrant pillow beneath his head, until the pillow shifted and squirmed.

"Good morning, Princess." He growled.

Elizabeth smiled and ran her fingers through his tousled curls.

"Good morning, Prince Charming. I see you've managed to keep me in bed once again."

"You didn't seem so opposed to it this time. May I even venture a guess that you actually enjoyed it?"

"Oh, yeah, baby."

William laughed as he stretched across her to open the drawer of his nightstand. He drew out a package wrapped in an iridescent tissue and handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"Merry Christmas."

She looked at the box, a little startled that he was giving her a gift.

"I wasn't expecting a gift. I have nothing for you."

"Oh, I think you gave me just what I've been wanting for awhile now."

She slapped him playfully on the arm and then went about opening her present. Slowly she drew out the fine gold chain of the beautiful cameo. Her breath left her in a small, light gasp.

"Do you like it?"

"Its beautiful."

He toyed with a lock of her hair as he told her the story behind the necklace, pointing out the small dent in rim of gold. Elizabeth's lip trembled as she laid the necklace back in the box and closed it.

"I can't take this, William."

"Of course you can."

"No, I really can't. This is a family heirloom, and it needs to be given to the woman you intend to marry, like your grandfather did, not to me."

He didn't speak for a moment, he just looked intently at her face, taking it in and weighing her words against the stirring in his heart. 'the woman you intend to marry… not me'.

"When my grandfather gave this to my grandmother, he had no hope that she would return his feelings, he thought she was still promised to another. He just needed to tell her how he felt about her and let the chips fall where they may. Richard told me about the other man in your life, but I'm here anyway, Elizabeth, letting the chips fall."

Her heart tripped along with the sweetness of his words, until that one phrase sank in. 'Richard told me…'

"Richard told you what?"

"About the man that you've been caught up with for the last eight years. I saw you with him at that ungodly club we were at. And I'm okay with it, Elizabeth, if you would be willing to put him completely to the side while we give us a try."

Richard had told William about Yushenkov? And William thought Manny was the man in question. Not good.

"Tell me exactly what Richard told you."

"Well, he said there was a man that you had an on again off again relationship with for the last eight years, and that you couldn't seem to 'catch him', so to speak. And that you couldn't let him go either, that you were… obsessed with him. I assume it was the man I saw you with at the club."

"That jerk!"

"Who?"

"Richard, that sneaky jerk. What can I possibly say to that? What can I possibly say to counteract that?"

William looked at her in confusion . She had risen from the bed and was pacing the floor, wearing nothing but a frown. He couldn't help but admire her well toned form, even in his agitated state. She was lean and strong, her only flaw the large scar running diagonally across her abdomen. Still, she was perfect in his eyes. Yet he needed to know where he stood with her before he let himself fall completely over the edge.

But, Elizabeth needed an answer that only Richard could give. She grabbed her clothes and started pulling them on.

"Where are you going?"

"Richard and I need to have a talk."

"Wait, Elizabeth. You and I need to finish this."

"I'm sorry, William. I really am. I wish I could say what you want to hear, and give you what you want me to give you, but I can't. What Richard told you was true, in a way. There is another man, and he will always come between us. And I knew better than to let myself get involved with you, but I did it, and I hate myself right now for it. I don't want you hurt, in anyway, I swear. So, after I go chew out Richard, I'll pack up and leave. I'll help you finish out the Russian job and then I'll be gone. Here," she shoved the box into his hand, "I am so sorry." And out the door she fled before he could get in another word.

Richard was just sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes when his door burst open.

"Elizabeth!"

"You absolute cretin. How could you?"

Richard immediately tensed, thinking that she had found out about the bug.

"You told William that I am obsessed with another man. You told him half truths about Yushenkov to keep him from becoming interested in me. What were you thinking, Richard?"

"How do you know this?"

"From the horse's mouth, my dear."

"I don't even want to imagine what possible scenario happened that could lead to you two having that conversation, Elizabeth. What is rule number one? Do not become emotionally involved with the mark."

"No, Richard, rule number one is the team is all about trust. Loose the trust, loose the team."

Richard cringed at her vehemence. She was right, but sadly, so was he.

"Please tell me you are not emotionally involved with the mark, Lizzy."

"Shall I put it in the same slippery, snake like way you told Will about Yushenkov?"

"Elizabeth, you can't afford to run on emotions here. You need to keep your head in the game. You know this."

"I can't help who I fall in love with, Richard."

Her hand flew to her mouth as the words slipped from her tongue. Richard jumped off the bed and grabbed her by the arms.

"Elizabeth! No!"

She nodded slowly, her eyes as wide as saucers with her own realization.

"You have to break it off now. No emotions, Lizzy, do you hear me? No emotions!"

"Can't I have some happiness in my life, please." Her voice was small, like a child's.

"You're happiness will come when this is over, Lizzy. Please don't make me be the bad guy. You know this. You know why it has to be this way. And he doesn't deserve to be hurt again, so just think about that."

She lowered her head, defeated. Richard hugged her to him as she silently cried. For the first time he did not feel guilty for having her put under surveillance. She was going to need all the help she could get to make it through this.

After she pulled herself together, she told him her plan to head back to the city immediately. He agreed that this was the best course of action, and as she packed, he called the boys to come pick her up at the head of the driveway so no one would see them.

Elizabeth had been gone for hours by the time Richard found William, ensconced in his darkened study with a glass of bourbon in his hand. It was obvious this was not his first, or even second drink.

"Well, Richard, it seems I have you to thank for my continued misery."

"Ah, Will, I'm sorry. I wish I could have saved you from this. Heck, I tried to save you from this, but you are both too headstrong to listen."

"What business was it of yours to begin with?"

"More than you know," Richard muttered to himself.

"Speak up, Benedict Arnold."

"William, she's not for you. She never was. I can understand your attraction to her, she's an amazing woman, but Elizabeth has commitments and obligations that … well, I don't know how to put any better than that. She's not yours to have."

William's dark eyes bored holes through his cousin.

"Not mine to have. And who are you to tell me who I may have and who I may love? I am my own man, last time I checked. I answer to no one but myself. You know, with all this secrecy, and half truth, and contradiction, I don't wonder that you have a thing for her."

Richard flinched. "No, William, never."

"Then what are the two of you hiding?"

Again, Richard flinched. Tread carefully, my man, he told himself.

"Nothing, William. She's just a girl who has been hurt, and as an old friend I feel I owe it to her to help her. You have your own hurts, too, William, and I worry about you as well. These are not good grounds for a healthy relationship."

"Get out," William had had enough.

"Will…"

"I said get out. As a matter of fact, vacation over. I'll have Mrs. Reynolds let everyone know that I had an emergency at work and had to go back to town. I'm sure I need to review some contracts before the Tuesday meeting with Solensky."

"William, please…"

"Conversation over, Richard. Good-bye."

Richard watched helplessly as William left his study, and soon there after left Pemberley.

Love.

It had come from both of their lips.

He had failed miserably.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter 10**

Tuesday morning came, Ambassador Solensky's group was expected at any minute, and Elizabeth had neither seen nor heard from William since he had slipped into his office an hour before. She needed to know where he was at mentally before they walked into the meeting, but he refused to respond to her calls. She was about to try one more time when the downstairs receptionist rang to tell her that the Ambassador had arrived. Throwing caution to the wind, she barged into his office.

"Solensky is here."

William emerged from the bathroom, struggling to knot his tie. Elizabeth crossed the room and took the length of silk, fixing it for him. She noted that he never looked at her, always at the floor or somewhere else. He seemed worn and tired, and she wanted to run her hands over his face and smooth the lines.

"Are you ready?" Her question still did not draw his gaze, instead, he moved away from her and grabbed the files he needed from his desk.

"Yes, lets go." He held the door for her as they exited.

They reached the conference room moments before Ambassador Solensky and his entourage. Introductions were made and everyone was seated as Elizabeth tended to everyone's needs. She took the opportunity, while passing out notepads and pens, to listen while the Ambassador's people spoke amongst themselves in their native tongue. Nothing seemed amiss as she took her seat at William's right hand, and the meeting began.

Three hours later, not a single issue had been agreed upon. The whole thing seemed to be going downhill quickly, as Solensky fought every point in the contract. William was holding firm to the points that mattered most to his company, while trying to give up some ground to Solensky in other areas, but the man would not be appeased. William finally suggested that they take a two hour lunch, hoping that the longer break would allow for cooler heads when the meeting resumed.

Everyone rose, breaking off into smaller groups as they left the room. William and the Ambassador's Undersecretary stopped by William's office to review a few papers before leaving for lunch. Elizabeth opted to stay in the conference room under the pretext of straightening up, while the stragglers slowly exited. There was one pair in particular, two men she had not heard the names of while introductions were being made, that were last to leave the room. They spoke to each other quietly in Russian, each having a northern accent. She recognized their dialect and phrasing as that found mainly in the Arkhangelsk region. Red flags where waiving fiercely in her mind as she listened in on their conversation.

"We thought this was taken care of, Yuri."

"I don't understand what happened. We made the arrangements, and they were en route, but nothing else has been heard."

"Then you know what happened. Failure. How do you plan to correct this?"

"We've brought in another," the man looked at Elizabeth and back at his companion.

"The girl? Bah! She doesn't understand us. When will this be done? You are already late."

"Tonight."

"Good. Be sure it happens, or you will be responsible."

Elizabeth waited until the men were almost to the elevators before she made a bee line for Richard's office.

"Did you get that," Richard asked as she shut the door behind her.

"Yes."

"What do you think?"

"I think either Yushenkov has a couple of spies in Solensky's entourage, or Solensky's favorite imported caviar was lost in the mail. Either way, I want William under twenty four hour surveillance until we find out. Is he still in his office?"

"Yes."

"Good. You call the boys, and tell them I want one in the truck working comms, one checking the stairwells and the last one checking the building's exterior tonight after close of business. I will gear up after the meeting, and hide out up here. I know William is going to pull an all-nighter trying to redo these contracts, so I will cover him. I will need you on stand-by. Okay?"

"Got it."

Elizabeth left for her office, where she pulled up a program on her computer that tapped into the surveillance bugs in William's office. It looked like he and the Undersecretary had decided to take their lunch in William's there, so, grabbing some files she closed the program and headed for William's door. She wasn't sure how far into Solensky's staff Yushenkov may have gotten, but she didn't want to take any chances.

"Mr. Darcy?"

William looked up from his desk, "Yes."

"I'm staying in for lunch. I'd like to take notes on whatever changes you two might be discussing if that is alright. It will help with the rewrites."

"Alright, come in."

And so it went for the next two hours, and on into the afternoon, as the group reassembled in the conference room and continued hashing out the finer points of the contract. At five o'clock they had reached a complete impasse. Solensky rose from the table, signaling his group to pack up their toys they were going home. William tried to convince him to stay, but he wouldn't listen, insisting that he would attend no more meetings on this subject until something worth his time was presented to him.

William wanted to pull his hair out in frustration as he watched them leave. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Elizabeth.

"May I have your notes, please. I'm going into my office and won't be out until I have this done. Hold all my calls."

"I will come help you."

"No, its not necessary. Just finish up any loose ends you have for today and go home."

She handed over her notepad and watched him trudge into his office and close the door, sorry for the workload he was about to take on, but glad he was so predictable. She moved back into her own office and pulled up the surveillance program. She monitored the building and its immediate exterior, tapping into the building's security system as well as the bugs they had installed themselves. She watched until everyone went home for the night, and then she quickly changed into her gear and turned off her office light, making it seem she had gone home for the evening.

The faint glow of her computer was the only illumination in the room, as she continued to monitor the building. At nine o'clock, William ordered dinner to be delivered to the front desk downstairs. Putting her computer in sleep mode, she waited by her door until she heard him leave to go pick it up.

It would take him at least ten minutes to get down to the lobby, get the food, and to come back up. That gave her just enough time to do a sweep before he returned. She moved silently out of her office and slipped into his. She wanted to do a physical inspection of his office, making sure no one had tried to enter through the ventilator shafts. Elizabeth entered the office, which was lit only by a banker's lamp on William's desk. She stilled her breathing, trying to detect any small sound that might be out of place. Hearing nothing, she slid along the wall to her right, slipped past the elegant mahogany bookcases, around the potted fichus, and crouched by the door to the bathroom. It was slightly ajar. If her target was trying to enter by an air duct, the one in the bathroom was the most obvious choice. Otherwise his entrance would have been right out in the open office space, and he would not have been able to hide the signs of his entry quickly enough. Elizabeth peered cautiously around the door frame, trying to catch any glimpse of movement. Nothing. She pushed the door open and flicked on the light. The vents looked undisturbed, and the bathroom was empty. She went back out and reexamined the opening in the main office. She could tell an assassin would not be able to take a shot at William while remaining in the shaft itself, the angle was bad. This was good, as it allowed her to go back to her office and monitor everything from her computer. She would be able to see and respond to any attempt by an attacker before William was in real danger.

Elizabeth looked at her watch, eight minutes had passed. She was almost out of time, and she still wanted to inspect the small maze of secretarial cubicles outside the major offices. She quickly moved back to the bathroom and slipped her hand inside to turn off the light, when a large hand grabbed her and pulled her inside. Elizabeth felt a strong arm snake its way around her throat and the sharp edge of a cold steel blade prick the side of her windpipe.

"Be still, sweetheart," a thick Russian accent whispered in her ear.

Elizabeth felt herself lifted by her neck and drug several feet back into the darkness . The bathroom door was still ajar, affording Elizabeth a quick view as the office door opened and William entered with a brown paper bag of Chinese food in hand. Elizabeth tried not to panic as she felt her air being cut off by the big man's grip. It was years of constant exposure to pain and high stress situations that allowed her to remain moderately calm during the next few minutes. The hulking man drug her by her throat and back against a wall. The small part of her brain that was not engaged in fighting for survival was worried that William might have heard and would be foolish enough to come investigate. If he came in, he was as good as dead. She had to come out of this on top, too much depended on it. With one hand she clawed at the attacker's forearm, while the other scratched at his face. Her fingers brushed the tip of her hairpins, and just as the dark room around her began to get even darker, she grabbed a pin from her hair and jabbed it in the first fleshy mass she could find. A small gasp of pain came from her attacker, and he instinctively loosened his grip on Elizabeth's neck. That was all she needed to wrench herself from his grasp and jump several feet away from him. She now stood facing him in the darkened room, a small amount of light from the city below shining through the window near the sink.

"Not nice, you little witch," a low growl emanated from the very large, hulking figure before her, the pin sticking out of his shoulder.

"Stay where you are and drop the knife," Elizabeth whispered in Russian, as she drew her gun from the holder strapped to her thigh. Her voice elicited a shocked twitch from the man. He was confused. He fully expected there to be some sort of protection in place around his target. He learned through intelligence that it might be a woman, and that had made him laugh. There had only ever been one woman who could give him a run for his rubles, and she was dead. But here, out of this she-devil's mouth came the voice of his beloved Ilya. It must have been the pain in his shoulder that muddied his mind.

William thought he heard a noise coming from his bathroom. He listened for a moment, but heard nothing else, so he shook it off and got back to work.

With surprising speed, the assassin rushed her and pinned her against the sink, leaning her so far back her head touched the mirror. She scrabbled a little as her feet tried to find purchase on the slick tiles. Her gun clattered to the floor as he squeezed her hand open in a fierce pinch. Finally, the rubber of her shoes grabbed the floor, and she brought the other knee up in a swift kick to the big man's groin, which bought her another reprieve from his iron grip. A good wrenching of his thumb caused him to release his grip completely. Elizabeth took advantage of his momentary disorientation and shoved him backwards, followed by a spinning kick to his head, sending him crashing into the wall. Damn. There would be no denying that loud sound. Maybe William would be smart and call security instead of going commando and checking things out himself. She searched the dark floor for her gun. She had to hurry, the Russian was regaining his wits and she was starting to weaken from the fight. Finally, her fingers touched cold steel, and she grabbed the gun, but it was too late. He had her by her waist, and he threw her against the wall by the window, pinning both her arms. The soft illumination of the city lights revealed her features to her attacker, and he gasped as if he had seen a ghost. He rasped the name "Ilya" as if his last breath were leaving his body. Elizabeth could not let any opportunity pass, and here was one ripe for the picking. She wrested one hand free and punched him in the throat. He stumbled back and she brought her gun to the ready.

Leveling the barrel and drawing a bead between his eyes, she sighed, "Hello, Braska."

"You are dead." He spoke as if saying the words would send her specter away.

"No, Braska, not dead, just reassigned."

"I saw you, dead, you are dead. I cried for you. YOU ARE DEAD!"

He cracked before her, shocked and dazed. Never in all his years as a trained assassin for the KGB had he broken or lost his focus. He was the best, for a reason. But this slight of a woman practically brought him to his knees, and he realized it was the kiss of death for him.

His heart broke before her, and his raw emotion buckled her knees. She backed against the wall, hoping for some support. She had always known that he loved her, from the time they were assigned together to help ferret out terrorists in Grozny so many years ago. It was one of the rare times that US and Soviet spies would work together, though he never knew her for an American. They had spent the whole of a very harsh Chechen winter holed up in a shack, running surveillance on a terrorist cell in the war torn city. The extreme conditions had bonded them and it had been a suicide bomber that had torn them apart. She had almost died that day, and the scar across her stomach proved it. It had been a year before the start of the Yushenkov case, and Villanova had to move mountains to get her out of there without blowing her cover. Sadly, because of the strain from the cold war, and the sometime lack of respect for those who truly sold their souls to serve their government, Braska had never been told that she had survived. What a harsh way to find out, looking down the barrel of her gun. What a horrid way to carry out a job, putting a bullet in the head of a dear friend. Yet, it was a kindness that it was she who would be his end. There were far worse ways to go, especially in their line of work. So, being a man among men, he accepted his fate.

"I loved you," he whispered, as he lunged forward, forcing her hand.

Elizabeth pulled the trigger.

William jumped at the banging, yelling and loud explosion that suddenly came from his bathroom. He grabbed the phone to call security, when Elizabeth's form emerged from the bathroom. His hand went limp and the phone dropped to his desk. She stood before him, pale, shaking, gun hanging from her hand. Suddenly the synapses of his brain began to fire at rapid speed. The pins, the tessen, the epee, Turkey, the scar, the bullet, her father…

"CIA," he whispered.

"NSA," she whispered back.

He slowly sank back down into his chair and stared as she picked up his phone dialed Richard's number.

"Richard, this is Ilya. I was working late tonight and I got an unexpected visit from an old friend. He's desperate to see you. Would you mind dropping by for a few, just to say hello?"

A moment of silence met her at the other end. Her rough use of code was necessary, as neither of them knew who might be monitoring William's phone. But Richard read her loud and clear, and he was beyond shocked. She had called herself Ilya, which was the code name she had used in Chechen.

Damn. Braska.

"Ilya, I would love to see our mutual friend. Its great of you to invite me. He must have had a long trip, how is he feeling? Is he up for a visit tonight?"

"Oh, yes, Richard, please do come. He had a very hard flight, and he's resting now, but he will be ready when you get here."

Richard's mind deciphered her code. He was dead.

"I'll be there in five. Give him my regards."

Thirty seconds later, the office door blew open as Manny and Jack rushed in, guns at the ready.

"You're late, boys, the war is over."

"Damn, boss, you're fast. We ran for it as soon as Moe saw the target."

Elizabeth pushed the bathroom door open and let the boys in, shielding the site from William with her body.

Manny let out a low whistle.

"Is that…?"

"Yes."

Jack walked over to the form and felt for a pulse, shaking his head when he found none. He then moved out and shut the door behind him, pulling Elizabeth closer to the desk so he could see her in the light.

"You okay," he asked as he noted the red marks on her neck.

"I'm fine."

"Shirt off, anyway."

This brought William out of his shocked state and onto his feet. "Who the hell are you people?"

Manny walked over to the desk, taking Elizabeth's gun and directing the lamp toward her body to give Jack some more light. He then turned to face William as Jack helped Elizabeth off with her shirt and began examining her collar bone and neck for damage.

"Mr. Darcy, we are…"

"Stop!" Elizabeth's directive pulled Manny up short. "I'll brief him later. We need to get Richard in here, I need to call Villanova, and we need to get the… mess in there cleaned up." She cringed.

As if on cue, Richard entered and cursed.

"Damn it. I guess it was just too much to hope that this mission would stay under wraps."

"What can you expect, Fitzwilliam, when the assassin comes into the mark's office. Should the boss have asked him to kindly take it outside so as not to disturb Mr. Darcy's delicate sensibilities?"

"No one likes a smart ass, Ramirez. Lizzy, are you okay?"

"I just shot Braska in the head, Richard, how fine do you think I am?" The post-traumatic stress was starting to creep in and Elizabeth was getting edgy. Jack finished his exam and helped her put her shirt back on.

"And Richard," she continued, "we have a major problem. Braska would never work for a thug like Yushenkov. Never. He was an idealist."

"The right kind of money could sway just about anyone, Lizzy, and I know that the pay for a former KGB agent was pretty sparse. "

"I'm telling you no, not Braska. We need to look into that."

"Lizzy, you are letting your emotions rule you again. I know you don't want to think of Braska in that light, but its obvious that its true. What do I need to do to help get your head back in the game?"

Her only reply was to glare at him. Richard's focus was drawn behind her to William, who at this moment shared a similar facial expression with Elizabeth.

"Et tu, Brute," William's voice cut through the room like a knife. Richard sighed and nodded.

"Me, too, Chief."

Elizabeth turned to William and asked him to have a seat. As he grudgingly obliged, she asked Manny for his cell phone and dialed Villanova's number. Manny, Jack and Richard went into the bathroom to begin cleaning up while she made the call. She gave the brief, but glossed over the fact that William was now at least partially aware of the situation. Elizabeth wanted to sit him down and explain her side of things before everyone else came in with their rules and regulations and ruined it. And she was in luck, because the usually very astute Villanova didn't ask the wrong questions. She ended the call and informed the boys she was going home. And William was driving her. And if they didn't like it they could kiss her ass, which she directed fully at Richard.

William said nothing, but shut down his computer, grabbed his things and walked her to his car. They rode in silence, except for Elizabeth giving the occasional directions to where she lived.

She threw her keys at the table as they entered the apartment. Slowly she sank into the sofa, her head in her hands. William waited, his mouth too dry to speak.

After a few deep breaths she looked up at him.

"I don't know where to start, so ask whatever you want to know first, and we'll go from there."

"You are some sort of secret agent?"

"Yes."

"Why are you here?"

"To protect you."

"From what?"

"From a very bad man who wants to see you dead."

"So the man you… shot… in my office, was trying to kill me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well, that's a very good question. Because, see, before tonight I thought I had it almost figured out, but now, I'm not so sure."

"Am I supposed to understand that?"

"No. Tonight everything I thought was true was turned on its ear. I don't know what to think or believe now," Elizabeth sighed.

"Well, that makes two of us."

She bowed her head again.

"Am I still allowed to ask questions, Agent Bennet?"

She flinched, but nodded.

"So, to what do I owe the great honor of having my own secret agent to protect me? Do all business men with a mark on their head get such special treatment?"

"Well, William, you are one step removed from a national treasure. Your death would cause a huge dip in the market, as well as in other areas, and our government does not want to see that happen. Plus, there are several very powerful senators who want your endeavors in Russia to succeed."

William's voice was an arctic breeze and her skin prickled in response. "I see. To be honest, I expected as much. You don't get to where I am without knowing how the game is played and what your life is really worth. But, I have to commend you, never have I seen anyone go to such lengths for their job as you have. Tell me, is it standard procedure to sleep with your… what was it your trained ape called me… mark?"

"Absolutely. Right before I take them out back and shoot them execution style. That's why my code name is Praying Mantis."

"This isn't a joke, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth jumped up from the sofa, lifted her shirt and pointed the scar. "Does this look like a joke to you, Mr. Darcy?" She spat the words out like venom. William glared at her, just as angry and standing his ground.

"This nasty bit of work happened in Chechen, and the man I killed tonight was my partner at the time. We were taking down terrorist cells when I got caught up in a suicide bombing. That man in your office was a good man, and wanted good for his country. He was my friend, and I killed him. To save you. And I didn't even bat an eye. Does that sound like a joke to you?"

"No, but…"

"That night, at your home, on the balcony when I threw you down, you were seconds away from getting your head blown off. My trained apes and I took out about half a dozen men to protect your life. One of those trained apes took a bullet for you. Some joke, huh?"

"At my home?"

"Yes, at your home."

William sank into the nearest chair, his legs suddenly loosing their strength. He looked at her, pained, his anger seeping away. Mrs. Reynolds and many others, in danger, at his home, the thought was almost more than he could bear.

"I can understand why you're upset, William. But, for God's sake, I almost died for you tonight. Do you think you could try, just try to see it from my side?"

"I'm sorry. It just… hurts… I thought I was more than… ahh, hell," he growled as he pushed himself back out of the chair and began to pace the room before he continued.

"I love nothing and no one save the few people who remain with me, Mrs. Reynolds, Charles and your sister, Richard, though that's a tough one right now. I open myself up to no emotional attachments for years, and then you come here and… and you… God, woman, what have you done to me!" He looked down at his shaking hands as he yelled, then spun on his heel and approached her, a look of madness creeping onto his visage. He grabbed her by the upper arms and shook her once.

"Have you no compassion at all? How could you come here and make me love you and then tell me that I can't have you, that I am a job to you?"

Elizabeth felt that one word crawl through her and curl up next to its mate in her heart. Her breath faltered as he leaned his forehead on hers, with a death grip still on her arms, as he tried to keep the torrent of emotions at bay. She felt cruel, selfish. Why had she let things get so far out of hand? Richard had been right, and she had been careless, trying to have some of William for herself, not thinking of what pain it might cause him. She had never "…wanted to hurt you."

"What?" His eyes finally connected with hers and she saw what he had been trying to control. He was mortally wounded, and she had caused that. She tilted her head until her lips were poised at the threshold of his, and she whispered three little words. She couldn't keep them in, he deserved to hear them. At whatever consequence to herself, he deserved to know that he, too, had inspired that kind of emotion in someone who thought she would never be intimate with that feeling in the whole of her life.

As her words sunk in, he slid slowly down her body, until he rested on his knees before her. He raised the edge of her shirt and softly kissed the scar beneath. He then looked up at her.

"For all the pain you have suffered alone, especially what you suffered because of me, I am truly sorry. This course is set, and I know I cannot keep more bad things from happening. But I promise you, Elizabeth, from this moment on, that I will never let you suffer alone and unacknowledged again."

Jack entered the van to bring Moe some coffee. It was just the two of them, as Manny and Richard were back at the office, waiting for Villanova's clean up team to help with Braska's remains.

"Hey, have some java."

Moe slipped the headphones from around his neck as Jack handed him the cup.

"Here," Moe quipped as he passed the headphones to Jack, "for your listening enjoyment. I've had about enough."

Jack sat down in the chair next to Moe, put the headphones on, then proceeded to jump a foot in the air.

"Holy crap, is he killing her?"

Moe almost shot coffee out of his nose in his sudden burst of laughter. "This has been going on for hours, man."

Jack waggled his eyebrows and drawled, "Mr. Darcy, you're my hero."

Moe shook his head and chuckled for a minute before getting serious.

"You know we have to tell Richard, right?"

Jack's mirth dissipated just as quickly.

"Yeah, I know. But its been a bad day, let her have this. Richard can wait until tomorrow."

Moe nodded and then chuckled once more.

"I'm just glad its us and not Manny, ya know."

"No shit, there, bro," Jack smirked as he pulled the headphones back onto his ears.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter 11**

Elizabeth stretched luxuriously under the weight of William's arm, draped over her in his sleep. She felt wonderful, waking up in a bed again, and said bed being filled with such a glorious man as the one next to her.

Oh joy, oh bliss… oh shit.

She could feel the sudden rising of the hairs on the back of her neck. Slowly she slipped a hand under her pillow and felt for the cold grip of her gun, but found nothing. She cracked an eyelid and peeked around the room, trying to locate the problem. And she found it, directly in front of her, leaning against the door frame, twirling her missing weapon around one finger like a wild west gun slinger.

"Good morning, Sunshine. Missing something?"

Elizabeth sat bolt upright in the bed, shocked.

"Petra!" she hissed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"No, Lizzy, the question of the hour is, what the hell is he doing here?"

William grumbled and rolled over. Elizabeth eased from the bed and grabbed her robe. Throwing it on, she escorted Petra into the kitchen. She banged around the cupboards in hopes of making some coffee, but Petra had beaten her to it, so she poured them both a cup and leaned against the counter.

"How long have you been here?"

Petra sipped her coffee and looked around the apartment, taking in its open layout.

"I did a pretty good job, sight unseen. How do you like the place?"

"I asked you a question," Elizabeth pushed.

"And I believe the appropriate response is 'Thank you, Petra'."

"Thank you, Petra, the apartment is great. Now, how long have you been here?"

"Oh, long enough to get good and pissed off. But I have to say, I was pretty much there before I got here."

"You live in a perpetual state of pissed off."

"True. So, Elizabeth, how am I supposed to respond to this blatant disregard for the rules? Rules set in place to protect you? Rules you need to follow now more than ever, considering your precarious mental state?"

Elizabeth's answer came in the form of her middle finger.

"Getting cocky is not going to solve our problem, Lizzy."

"Name one instance during this mission that I've made an error in judgment."

"You screwed the mark, Bennet," Petra slammed her empty cup down on the counter, shattering it. Elizabeth winced. "And, what's more, I wouldn't care if you'd screwed him every which way to Sunday if you had kept your damn emotions out of it."

Petra drew a deep, calming breath and pulled her anger in check. A screaming match would solve nothing right now. She cleaned up the shards of porcelain and walked into the living room, perching herself on the arm of a chair.

"How long have we been friends, Lizzy?"

"Our whole lives."

"You know, when we were in high school, and I was going through my rough patch, you were always there for me. And because you helped me get my life straight and focused on something bigger than myself, got me signed on with the Agency, I've always felt I owed you a debt. I made sure that I was the one that handled your missions personally, so that I could be there if you needed me."

"Thank you, Char," Elizabeth smiled warmly at her friend.

"God, I haven't thought about that name in years."

"Well, to be honest, its been years since you've acted like Charlotte Lucas. Angry and lost and screwed up as you used to be, you used to have some heart. I know you changed your name because you needed a fresh start, but Charlotte is still in there, somewhere. You've become very cold, Petra."

"I've had to be, Lizzy. If I'm not a hard ass, you get stomped on and treated like nothing but a number. And if I get soft at all, you get soft and then you get a bullet in the head. Its on me to make the hard decisions so you stay alive. Can you understand that?"

"Yes."

"That's why, when you go and do something stupid like this, I get so freaking angry. You are purposely putting yourself in harm's way. How can I protect you from… you?"

Elizabeth looked out the large picture window at the city outside.

"Lizzy, you know you will have to leave him. You can't take him with you. And, Lizzy, look at me."

Elizabeth turned her watering eyes to Petra.

"You cannot stay here."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks. She nodded.

"Elizabeth, who is this?"

William entered the room, rumpled from sleep. Petra rose from her seat and crossed the room, hand extended.

"Hello, William. I am Petra Villanova."

William took her hand and smiled.

"Well, finally. And here I thought Richard had been making you up all these years. I am very honored to meet you."

"Likewise, William."

Petra turned to Elizabeth, looking at her with all seriousness.

"Lizzy, I am going to go. You and William need to talk."

Elizabeth nodded again as Petra left.

"What was that all about?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and motioned him to come sit on the sofa.

"William, we need to talk. I… God, I don't even know where to start, so I guess I'll just come out with it. I have to tell you that, when this is all over, I have to leave. And there is nothing I can do about it, its just the way it is."

"What do you mean, leave?"

'I mean that once we catch Yushenkov, and I believe that it will be very soon, I will be retired. And that means that I will be relocated, sort of like the witness protection program."

"Okay, I don't understand. What does that mean exactly?"

"That means, that once this mission is over, you and I will not see each other again."

William's jaw clenched. "Not acceptable, no."

"It has to be this way, William. I've screwed up a lot of schemes for a lot of bad people over the last decade or so, and the only way for me to have any semblance of a life when this is over is for me to be relocated. The alternative is not pleasant."

William rose and paced the room, much as he had the night before.

"No… no. You will be safer if you stay with me. I will hire a bodyguard, hell, I'll hire a hundred if its necessary. That way I can make sure you are safe at all times. And we can stay at Pemberley. I can move my offices there and set up a security system. I've been meaning to do that for years, anyway, and now I have a good reason. There, all settled, I'll put in some phone calls as soon as we get back to the office."

Elizabeth shook her head in amazement at his self-assuredness. Here was a man used to getting everything he wanted. No was a foreign word to him.

"William, sit down please. Listen, that sounds lovely, and under any other circumstances I think that would be a great idea. But I'm not just walking off into the sunset because its what I want, or because Richard and Petra think its best. I have to go because people with scary amounts of power and influence have ordered it so. People who will not be swayed by your money or stature. I signed my life away years ago, before I ever knew there was such a wonderful person as William Darcy, and because I signed my life away, I am owned and must do as I am commanded. You can't buy me out of my contract with the devil."

"You'd be surprised how much pull I actually have, Elizabeth."

"Actually, William, you'd be surprised at how much pull they let you think you have, just to keep you making that money."

His face darkened. "So, this is what you and Richard have been trying to tell me all along."

She nodded.

"Excuse me, I have to go."

She put a restraining hand on his arm.

"William, running away, burying yourself in work is not going to make this better."

He raised his hands, shrugging his arm away from her touch. He pointed an accusing finger in her direction and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again in silence. He popped up off the sofa, and took two steps away, then turned and opened his mouth again. And again he closed it in silence. Shaking his head he marched back to her bedroom and gathered the rest of his things. With grim determination he walked to the door, not looking at her once.

"Stop," she commanded, her tone the same as the one she had taken with Manny in William's office.

He turned on her in a fury.

"No, darling. I do not take commands from you."

"Okay, you're right. Please, William, you can't go out of here by yourself. I will call Richard to come get you, if you can't stand to be around me right now. Okay? Please?"

He ground his teeth, but capitulated, taking a seat at the table as she placed the call.

For the next twenty minutes they waited in silence, neither one looking at the other. At Richard's knock, William bolted for the door, throwing it open, hoping to just drag Richard down the hall and to the car without so much as a hello to Elizabeth. But his progress was impeded by the three large men standing behind Richard. William took two steps back and let everyone enter.

Moe stood with his back against the door, blocking any access to it, while Jack moved to the hallway and Manny walked over to stand at Elizabeth's right hand. Richard shook his head as he approached William. Old habits died hard, and the boys were feeling the need to protect their girl.

Something about seeing Manny standing so close to Elizabeth, assuming a very territorial stance, sent William over the edge. Manny saw the look he was getting, and being who and what he was, took a proactive approach to the situation.

"I'll be glad to take that chip off your shoulder."

William's forward progress was stopped by a quick body block from Richard. Under his breath, Manny muttered something about trained apes. Elizabeth shot him a searching look, but saw nothing there that helped settle the sudden prick in the back of her mind, so she moved on to try to diffuse the situation, putting that little statement away to think on later.

"William, this is Manny. He's my second in command, and he's the one that took the bullet for you at Pemberley."

William breathed out slowly and unclenched his jaw. He felt himself tearing in two parts, one half of him burned with rage at the deception, manipulation and loss that was being forced upon him, the other half overwhelmed with awe by the revelation of Elizabeth's true character and love for him, the sacrifices these people were making, and the obvious loyalty they all shared. He felt trapped in a schizophrenic hell. Grudgingly he nodded thanks to Manny, then turned to Richard.

"Lets go."

Moe moved from the door and allowed William and Richard out of the apartment. As the door closed, Jack and Moe moved into the living room, finding seats where they could. Manny chose to stand by the window, looking out, his shoulders stiff and proud.

"Whew, that was intense," Moe chuckled.

Elizabeth went to the kitchen and poured them all a cup of coffee. When she got to Manny, he took it without looking at her. She was catching a definite vibe off of him, and she didn't like it.

"So, boss, are we okay?"

"Yeah, Jack. Everything is going to be okay, somehow."

"That's good, because we thought you'd be mad as hell," Moe sighed with relief.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not mad, Moe. Sad, hurt, very, very tired, but not mad."

"We didn't want to hurt you, boss. I hope you know that. We were just looking out for you."

"What are you talking about, Moe?" Elizabeth was getting a very sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"The bug, boss. You know the… you don't know, do you? Aw, hell."

Everything suddenly clicked into place.

"Manny, is there a bug in my apartment?"

"Yep."

"Who authorized a bug in my apartment."

"Villanova ordered it…," Jack jumped in defensively.

"But you would never have done it if Manny didn't say it was okay. Right, Manny?" Elizabeth's voice grew as cold as her insides.

"Yep."

"You are my boys, not Villanova's. How dare she ask you to do that? How dare you do it? Manny, damn it, turn around and look at me!"

Manny turned from the window, his face a mask of stone. He put the coffee cup down on a small table next to him and pulled himself to attention.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Knock off the uber-marine bullshit, and face me like a man."

Manny relaxed his pose, but said nothing.

"First Richard screws with the team and now you? I can understand it from Richard, because he's not us. Us, Manny. Kicking ass and taking names. You screwed the team, Manny."

"No, Lizzy, you did. You screwed us when you went off by yourself in Turkey, and we all lived with the guilt that you were probably dead in some shallow grave somewhere. What were we supposed to think, when you started making eyes at Darcy? We were just supposed to take it on faith that you could keep your head? They told us at Quantico, when they were running your tests, that it was almost a guarantee that you would crack under the stress at some point if they sent you back out so soon. If I have the choice between making sure you are going to be okay and hoping that you are going to be okay, I'm going with option A, baby. And that's why I allowed the bug. I am only human, Lizzy, and you are my family. The boys and I can't handle another Turkey."

"Well, those are very pretty words, Manny. But answer me this, when you made a tape of last night, which I know you did, at what point did you determine that I was cracking under the stress? Did I do anything that put William or myself in harm's way? No, I didn't. But you gave the tape to Richard anyway, didn't you? And at what point during this mission have my feelings for William impaired my performance? When I shot the guy who was dragging you across the ground, or when I was putting a bullet between Braska's eyes? If anything, being closer to William has made it easier to protect him. The only thing that has caused me any trouble is this crap."

"We don't know what's right or wrong anymore, Lizzy. Don't be mad. You're our girl, and we love you. We just want you to be alright," Moe pleaded.

"Just go. I need to think."

Moe and Jack got up and walked to the door. Manny paused next to Elizabeth and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Lizzy, I can handle you hating me if means your alive."

"I could never hate you, Manny. Like you said, we're family. Its just this knife between my shoulder blades is starting to hurt."

Manny sighed and walked out with Moe and Jack. Elizabeth moved in slow motion, trying to get herself ready to go to the office, feeling very alone in the world.

William sat behind his desk, staring at his computer screen. It was a sad day indeed when he couldn't even hide himself in his work. An unending stream of questions plagued his mind. Where was she? Why wasn't she here yet? Was she coming in at all? If not, would he get to see her once more before she went? When she had told him that she had to leave, he felt a small piece of him die. Why was it that everything he loved was ripped from him? He didn't know if he could take it again, and he had run like a coward. But now, sitting here, he realized that he couldn't hide from this.

His phone rang, breaking his internal dialog.

"Hello, William Darcy."

The voice on the other end of the line sounded far away, and came in broken fragments.

"William, how... Caroline… guess who… at London airport… William, can you hear me?"

"Caroline, I can't make out what your saying."

"Listen… Christmas… airport I saw… I thought he was… William?"

"Caroline, you are going to have to call back on something besides your cell phone, I can't hear you. I'm going now. I can't hear you. Alright, good-bye."

He moaned as he hung up the phone. No doubt Caroline was calling to crow over some celebrity she had spotted in London. He had neither the time nor inclination to listen to her babble right now. So it was with a complete lack of guilt that he let the next few phone calls go straight to voicemail.

When Elizabeth got to the office an hour later, her first stop was to see Richard. Now that everything had gone to hell in a hand basket, she needed to know what she was expected to do. She found him on the phone, so she sat in a chair near his desk and waited for him to finish. It didn't take long.

"Petra looks good," she said by way of breaking the ice.

He smiled and nodded. "I'm not going to chew your ass, Lizzy. I think you've had enough for one day. What's done is done, and we just have to move forward now. William wanted me to send you in as soon as you got here. Go see him."

William looked up as Elizabeth entered his office. She looked so small and fragile standing next to his door. He rose and walked to her, taking her in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I am having a hard time with all of this, I hope you understand that."

"Of course I do, William."

"I'm going to find a way around this, you know."

She smiled sadly and shook her head, letting him think what he wanted if it gave him comfort. They could face reality later, because right now she was feeling battered and bruised and she just needed him to hold her and make it okay.

As she curled into his chest, she felt something hard against her right shoulder. She patted her fingers against the lump in his coat pocket.

"What's this?"

He smiled and dipped his fingers into his pocket, pulling the familiar little box from its confines. He held it up for her to see.

"I was hoping you'd change your mind."

She took the box and opened it again. And again she pulled the golden chain from its velvety bed. He took it from her and undid the clasp, a question in his eyes. She smiled and turned so he could fasten it around her neck, but as his hands reached around her she stopped him. She removed the black onyx pendant that had been her companion for so many years, and held it in her hand, touching the smooth surface of the stone as William secured the cameo around her throat. Elizabeth noted something rough on one side of the onyx and brought it up to her eyes for closer inspection. She scratched at the strange substance until it flaked off onto her fingernail. She stiffened, recognizing the fine black mesh immediately. It was the final straw for Elizabeth Bennet. They had all been so sure that she was going to crack that they had pushed her right into. And crack she did. She excused herself from William's office, assuring him she would be back momentarily. She then proceeded to the cubicles outside her office and placed her hand on the back of the small, mousy secretary that did the filing and typing for Richard. Elizabeth smiled at the girl and asked if she would be so kind as to bring her up a few legal note pads when she was next in the supply office. The girl returned her smile shyly and said she'd be glad to. Elizabeth patted her shoulder in thanks, securing the small black mesh to the back of the girl's shoulder. _There, track that you bastards._

She returned to William's office and found him just ending a phone call, a frown creasing his brow.

"What's wrong?"

"That was Mrs. Reynolds. She needs me to come to Pemberley, something is wrong with Diablo and the grooms can't seem to locate the vet or deal with it themselves. She sounded very shaken up. I need to leave now. Come with me?"

"I'd love nothing better than to get the hell out of here. Let me grab my little black bag and we can go."

William slowed the car to a stop and Elizabeth looked up at the vast façade of his ancestral home through the front windshield. Though it was early evening, it was already dark outside due to the season, yet only one room appeared to be lit, and the entry lights were notably absent.

"William, wouldn't Mrs. Reynolds have turned the front lights on, since she was expecting you?"

William looked out at the house and frowned. "Yes, I suppose so. Does it really matter?"

"I'm not sure, I'm not familiar with your staff's habits. Do me a favor and don't get out of the car until I'm around to your side, and then stay behind me." Elizabeth turned around to grab her gun from the black bag she had tossed onto the back seat. She clicked off the safety and reached for the door handle. William put a restraining hand on Elizabeth's arm.

"Maybe I should go first."

She looked from him to the gun in her hand and back at him.

"Okay, maybe not."

Quickly and quietly they walked to the front door, Elizabeth keeping an eye on everything around her. So far the only thing out of place was the lack of lighting. Once up the steps, she had William stand with his back against the wall and her back against the door then she opened it slowly, looking into the darkened foyer before entering. Still seeing nothing out of place she slipped inside and turned, scanning the room with her gun drawn before her. Still not seeing anything amiss, she signaled for William to follow. He stepped into the foyer and closed the door behind him. It was then, when their eyes were adjusting to the dark room, that Elizabeth heard the sound. A small whooshing sound, which was followed by a stinging in her left thigh. In the time it took for her to turn her head to warn William, she heard another small whoosh. Then everything went black.

The small part of Elizabeth's brain that was regaining consciousness remembered this. Sitting in a metal chair, in the blackness, hands bound behind her and tied to her feet around the back and under the chair so tight it drew her legs back as far as they could go. It hurt, it was dark, and it smelled bad. Her whole body began to tremble, slowly at first, then harder and harder until the chair rattled against the floor. Yet even over this came the sound of metal scraping against metal far behind her, as though a billy club was being drug against the bars of a line of prison cells. Closer it came, closer and closer. Her breath began to come in small puffs as her hazy mind became awash with terror. It had all been a dream, a hallucination that she had been free. Here she was still in Turkey, still in the dark. Then the scraping stopped, and she heard a step, right behind her, and she felt a breath, right on her neck. And the voice whispered in her ear,

"Hello, dearest… loveliest… Elizabeth."

The voice was unfamiliar, the accent definitely American. This was no Turkish guard. But still the tears ran silently down her checks as she tried to grasp what fresh hell she had just been thrown into. The footsteps and breath receded and a light came on, washing the whole place with brightness. She squinted against the invasive light. She was unable to make out anything but blurry shades of light and dark.

It had been over an hour since Richard had last seen or heard from William or Elizabeth. Thinking they should have hashed everything out by now, he rose from his desk and walked toward Elizabeth's office. He peered quickly inside and found no traces of her, so he moved on to William's door. Richard tapped lightly, but received no response, so he tapped again harder. Still no response. He pushed the door open and again found an empty space. Once more he moved down the hall and toward the secretarial cubicles. He asked everyone when was the last time they had seen Mr. Darcy. The answer perturbed him greatly. Forty-five minutes before, William had been seen entering the elevator with Elizabeth and had not been seen since. Richard strode to his office and pulled up his surveillance program, running it back a little more than an hour before and scanning the data, looking for a sign of William and Elizabeth's departure.

Slowly Elizabeth's eyes began to focus, the light and dark around her becoming soft edged shapes and forms. Once more the footsteps approached behind her, but she was unable to turn around as each move of her shoulders only served to tighten the bonds at her wrists and ankles. She could only sit and wait.

A hand reached around and stroked her cheek softly.

"You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this. How long I've wanted to be able to see you, touch you. What lengths I've gone to just to make this night a reality."

Elizabeth could not get her mouth and brain to function as one, so she remained silent, hoping who ever was behind her would make himself known. Her eyes still fought to see, and she split her fuzzy concentration between the voice behind her and the strange dark pillar a few feet before her.

Richard stopped the surveillance data at an hour and fifteen minutes earlier. He saw Elizabeth exit William's office, move to the cubicles, and then enter her office, only to exit a few moments later to with her bag and reenter William's office. Then they both left right after. Richard pulled up the data for William's office during the beginning of that time frame, and while it loaded he put a call in to the boys.

"I see that my gift in Turkey paid off, just as I thought it would. Look at you now, so humble and sweet, crying for me. You needed to be taken down a notch, Elizabeth. You were too proud and self-assured. But not now, no. I see you learned your lesson very well in that hole."

"Yushenkov."

"Ah, there's my girl. Right on the button. How is your vision, darling? Have the tranquilizers worn off enough for you to see my next gift there in front of you?"

Elizabeth strained her eyes, willing them to focus. The soft edges began to become harder lines, and the pillar before her began to take on a disturbing form.

Richard turned up the volume on his speakers as he ran the selected file from William's office. He saw William walk to Elizabeth and hug her, saw him hand her the box, saw her take off the onyx necklace, then inspect it closely. None of the ensuing conversation enlightened him as to where they might have gone. He then saw her look at her finger and leave the room. His stomach turned as he pulled up the hallway files for the same time period.

Elizabeth put all her concentration on the fuzzy image before her. The dark pillar was sharpening, shaping into the form of a man, and the soft moan coming for that direction confirmed it. She blinked once, twice, and on the third time she saw that they were in the breezeway of the stable. On the fourth blink she saw him.

William's hands were bound tightly in baling wire, and Yushenkov had suspended him by his bindings on a hay hook connected to a pulley from the hay loft. He then had pulled William up until he was on his tip toes, making sure he would be unable to get any leverage with his legs to push up and free his hands. The wire bit into his wrists cruelly, as his limp form hung from those restraints. William was slowly rousing from his stupor, groaning and blinking. Elizabeth was panicking, unable to see an avenue of escape, or a way to free William.

"William, wake up, wake up," she yelled.

A firm slap rocked the back of her head.

"No, no. All in good time. I'm not ready for him just yet, first I have some things I need to say to you."

"Why are you doing this, Yushenkov? Why him? I know why you want me, but why him?"

"Oh, how very considerate of you to put him before yourself. But as I said, I'll get to him later. Right now I need you to appreciate how long and hard I had to work to get you here. Can you see clearly now? I need for you to be able to see me clearly before I show myself to you."

She nodded, not sure it was the right idea. In a few steps he was before her, and she lifted her eyes to look on her nemesis for the first time. A small gasp escaped her lips as she took him in. He was so young. He had amassed such a large amount of power and wealth that she had assumed he had been around for decades, but no, before her stood a man not any older than herself. And he was painfully beautiful. His features were chiseled and refined, his hair black and wavy, his eyes light and sparkling, his mouth full and smiling. His dress was impeccable, his aura one of wealth and breeding. He was light-years removed from the mental image she had built up of him over the years.

Yushenkov smiled at her reaction, knowing full well she was taken aback by his appearance.

"Do you find me pleasing?"

"I find you different than I expected."

"But do you like what you see?"

"No."

His smile became ugly around the edges. He breathed out and squatted before her.

"Well, we will have to work on that rude tongue of yours, won't we? You make me sad, Elizabeth. I so wanted you to find me appealing, but that will have to come later, I guess. I do want you to know that you are even more beautiful than I had dreamed," he laughed ruefully and rose to a standing position, "thought I have to confess that I have several hundreds of photos of you taken over the last eight years. But I must say, the camera didn't do you justice."

Elizabeth didn't like the sick bent this conversation was taking.

"You know, I practically jumped for joy when I heard that you had killed Braska. I knew you had it in you. And I sent him to you, just so you could prove how dedicated to me your are."

"You liar, Braska would never work for you."

"Oh, but he did. He just didn't know it. Or maybe you should talk to Solensky about that. Oh wait, you won't be able to, because he will be dead soon."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I've been helping Solensky for years now, ever since William here first showed an interest in cornering the Russian fuel market. Solensky and I had an understanding. He fed me information about William, and I discouraged any capitalist ventures that might undermine his plan for Russia."

"If you two are so close then why are you going to kill him?"

"Because his men almost shot you, darling. I didn't authorize that attack. Braska yes, because I knew you could take him, but those idiots… no."

A pained cry came from behind Yushenkov's back, and a cruel sneer wormed its way onto his lips. "Well, another country heard from."

William's eyes flew open, his gaze still unfocused but his expression a mixture of pain and disbelief.

"I know that voice."

"Yes, William, I should say you do."

"George Wickham!"

"Right again."

Elizabeth's head reeled at the revelation. George turned his back to William and resumed his conversation with Elizabeth.

"You see, darling, William and I go way back. So far back that we are practically brothers. Or should I say that I thought we were like brothers, and so did William's father, because he took me under his wing when my parents died. But not William. Oh, no. When the time came to prove his loyalty, he made sure to show me the door. Isn't that right, William? Didn't your father promise me an equal part in the business, and didn't you steal it from me and give it to Richard?"

"That's not the way it was, George," William growled in pain.

Richard was finally able to access the data from the hallway camera when the boys entered. He filled them in quickly as they pulled up chairs around him and helped him scan the data files for clues. They watched as Elizabeth's recorded image stopped by one of Richard's secretaries and spoke to her. Then Elizabeth entered her office. Richard pulled that file up and waited for it to load.

George spun around and faced William, practically hissing with venom.

"Yes, William, its exactly how it was. You stole my inheritance from me because I wasn't your blood kin. I wasn't a Darcy or a Fitzwilliam. But, come to find out I didn't need you after all. When I left this hell hole I found I a had family that surpassed even yours. My mother's brother, my uncle Vladj Yushenkov took me under his wing and made me the prince of his empire. And since his death I have more than tripled his wealth and power. I did this. Without you or your family name."

"You stole money from the company when you interned there for my father, George. You faked your own death and you killed my sister, you son of a bitch."

George's smile broadened at that. He turned to his left and pulled back the sliding door of the stall next to him. He entered quickly and returned, dragging a young woman, bound and gagged behind him. He shoved the woman in William's general direction. She looked around her wild eyed, but as soon as her eyes lit on William's face she screamed against her gag.

William, the pain ever increasing in his shoulders and wrists, his calves cramping severely from their stressed position, sobbed in recognition of his dear sister.

"Georgie?"

She nodded and ran toward him, then darted back from him, scared to touch him and cause him more pain.

"There's you cowering brat of a sister. She's been nothing but trouble from the day I took her. Weak, pathetic, useless lump of flesh."

William tried to push up, straining to free himself and help his sister, but it only ended up causing him more pain.

"So, William, now you know the whole story. Well, except the part about how I told Georgie that you were the one killed in a flaming car crash and that she should come to live with me in Russia. Oh, and that she thinks I married her a year later, but it was all a sham."

Georgie turned her haunted eyes on the monster, confused and shaking. He had told her that he was bringing her back for the New Year, so she could once more get a look at her family home. And that was the last thing she remembered as she had fallen asleep on his private jet from New York. When she had woken up in the stall in her present condition, she had been scared out of her wits. These new revelations only fueled her fear.

"Now you know, Willaim, and now you must make a choice. Elizabeth or Georgie?"

William looked at George hard, trying to make sense of his words.

"What?

"You must choose. Who will live and who will die?"

"What the hell are you trying to say?"

"You're a smart man, William, stay with me. Who will live and who will die?"

"I can't do that. How am I supposed to do something like that?"

George turned to Elizabeth and slapped her fully across the face, causing a small rivulet of blood to seep from her lip.

"I can keep this up all night, William. And my girl is tough, she can take a punch. So, please, by all means, stall a little more."

Elizabeth caught William's eye. "Save your sister. I can handle this."

"I can't do that, Elizabeth, I can't." William's voice was no more than a choked whisper.

George whispered into William's ear. "Ain't my girl a peach. Give her what she wants, the martyr's sacrifice."

He stood and breathed deeply, savoring the tension in the air like a fine wine.

"Wickham, I will kill you." William growled.

"No, I don't think so, William. You see, this is where you finally learn your lesson. You don't get your way this time."

George walked back around Elizabeth and leaned into her ear again.

"Don't waste your breath on him, darling. He will not choose you anyway, not when the only other heir to Pemberley cowers before him. Familial duty will always come first with William Darcy. And look, he wants desperately to be able to go against his breeding. See him struggle, isn't he noble? Well, get on with it! Choose!"

William looked at Elizabeth with haunted eyes, knowing he was powerless. She smiled at him, and nodded toward Georgie.

William lowered his head, broken. "Georgie."

"Good boy. And I'll let you in on a little secret, William. I was never going to let you have my girl anyway. I just wanted to see you sweat."

George reached over and stroked Elizabeth's head.

Richard cursed as the file of Elizabeth in her office proved useless. He pulled up the hall file and decided to pull up the second one for William's office as well. The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness as they all waited.

"You know, William, I do have one more surprise for you."

George moved over to yet another stall and slid the door open. He then squatted on his heels and reached his arms out, smiling indulgently. Slowly a young boy walked over to him. Georgiana screamed against the gag in her mouth.

"Good boy, Christopher. Very good boy. Now, I would like for you to meet your Uncle William. He's been a very bad boy and he is about to go on a very long trip. But he has a big gift that he will leave to you. See, when Uncle William goes away, he will be leaving you everything he has, because your mommy is Uncle William's sister, and that makes you rightful heir to the Darcy fortune."

The boy was obviously frightened and did not understand any of what his father had said, but William grasped it fully. George's revenge had been years in the making: to steal Georgiana and have a child, so that child, George Wickham's progeny, would be the only heir to Pemberley. And George's next step, to solidify his plan, would be to kill William.

George saw the light of comprehension in William's eyes and licked his lips like a lion at a feast. He walked back over to Elizabeth as the boy ran to his terrified mother's side.

"Do you like my little plan, baby? Isn't it pure genius?"

"Sick bastard."

George slapped her again, snapping her head back.

"I love it when you talk dirty."

He stood behind her and ran his hands down her face and neck, slowly caressing her until his fingers reached her throat. He gave a little squeeze, nothing more. Just a little reminder that he could end her life at any moment, that she was completely in his power. He felt her necklace under the fabric of her shirt. Slowly he dipped his fingers under the collar and brought the necklace from its hiding place. The pendant was familiar, a cameo. Grandmother Georgina's cameo, he recognized the dent in the rim of gold. In a fit of rage he ripped it from her neck and punched her squarely in the jaw, almost knocking her out cold. William screamed in anger.

"What have you done with him, Elizabeth? Have you let him touch you?"

Elizabeth held a tentative grasp on consciousness. She prepared herself for more of the same, taking her mind to the place she went when these kinds of things happened. She had to hold on, or there was no hope of getting out of here. She was sure by now Richard was trying to find her, and she cursed herself for her rash removal of the tracking device. All she had to do was hold on until they got there, or some other solution presented itself.

George raised his fist and struck her again, breaking her left cheek bone with the power of his hit. She groaned as her eyes tried to roll back in her head. Once again she forced down the pain and waited.

Finally, they hit pay dirt. Richard increased the volume as they all watched William on the phone with Mrs. Reynolds. They couldn't make anything out from his end of the conversation, and Richard started to search again for the phone tap recording for that time period when Elizabeth returned to the screen and William explained to her what was going on.

"Bingo," Richard yelled. He scooped up the phone and dialed quickly.

"Hello, Petra. I need you to call in a chopper, ASAP, then you need to meet us here. I'll explain everything to you when you get here."

"You are mine, Elizabeth, not his, mine," George kept screaming as he struck her twice more.

"Your mother was a whore!"

This one sentence stopped George cold in his tracks. He turned, a full blown mania in his eyes, toward William.

"What did you say?"

"I said you mother was a whore. Your father married her to get her out of Russia, but she was already pregnant with you. Who knows who your father was." William lavished on the details, not knowing if they were true or not, just knowing that if he pissed George off enough, George would stop hitting Elizabeth and come at him.

George took one step away from Elizabeth and toward William.

"You lie, you dog."

"Its true, that's the only reason my father took pity on you."

George took two more steps toward William, seething with hatred.

"You know, I came here alone because I wanted to deal with you myself. I don't need a group of thugs to help me kill you, William. I am going to do it with my bare hands."

William smirked, knowing he had him now, an old childhood taunt that never failed to bring out the ire in George.

"You couldn't squeeze the life out of that boy over there, much less me, Wickless."

George flew at William in a rage, but William was ready. With all the strength he could muster he pulled himself up with his arms, the metal bindings slicing at his wrists, and threw his legs around George's neck and pushed himself up, freeing his arms from the hook. He then pushed himself forward, toppling George over backwards and smacking George's head on the concrete floor. William then threw his arms over George's neck and pulled up, bringing the stunned man to a sitting position while he spun around to the back side of him, using his wire bindings as a make shift garrote. George choked and clawed at his neck and William's arms, trying to free himself, but William sat back and pulled harder until he saw George go limp from lack of air. He then let up and removed his arms from George's neck and looked at Elizabeth. She was sinking into unconsciousness fast, so he decided to free Georgie first so she could help him with his own wrists. Once this was accomplished he found some more of the baling wire and proceeded to bind George's hands and feet, just as George was beginning to wake up. He then rose to attend to Elizabeth when he heard a loud whooshing sound coming from outside. Seconds later, five people came sprinting down the stable breezeway. William sighed with relief as he recognized them all.

Richard skidded to a halt at the sight of George Wickham laying on the ground. It was as if he was seeing a ghost. Petra pulled up short beside him and stared as well, just as shocked. Then her eyes were drawn further down to the frail woman clutching a small boy to her chest. Petra elbowed Richard and pointed. With a strangled cry, Richard flew to Georgiana and scooped her and the boy into his arms.

Moe scouted the rest of the stable for any other bad guys. He found no hitmen, but he did find several grooms tied up in the hay loft. One of them was Seth. Moe laughed at him as he freed the man from his bindings. "We have to stop meeting like this, Seth old boy."

Jack stayed near Elizabeth as William removed her restraints. Manny brought several horse blankets over for her to be laid out on. Together, Manny and William settled her down on the blankets, each man hovering close while Jack examined her wounded face. Elizabeth turned her eyes toward William.

"You did good, kid," she lisped quietly.

"Shhh, baby don't talk," he whispered.

"You saved me, you know. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around."

William smiled at her, tears forming in his eyes as he took in her damaged visage. He looked up at Manny, who was that minute wiping a tear of his own from his cheek. Their eyes locked over Elizabeth's head and they silently acknowledged each other. A deep and mutual respect passed between them.

Moe came back with a stunned Mrs. Reynolds, whom he handed off to Richard. Petra came to kneel beside the group as Richard attended to Georgiana and Christopher, and a couple of the support troops came from the helicopter and loaded Wickham into the back of the aircraft.

"Aw, Lizzy, you look like hell," Petra teased through tears of her own. Elizabeth tried to chuckle, but it hurt too bad.

Petra raised a questioning eyebrow at Jack.

"It needs attention soon," he answered as he rose to retrieve a stretcher from the helicopter.

"William, we have to go now. She needs help. So you need to say good-bye, because… this is it."

"No, I want to go with you to the hospital. I need to know that she makes it okay. Just give me a little more time."

"No, William, once Jack gets back here with the stretcher we have to go."

William tried to protest, but Elizabeth tugged at his arm. He looked at her, desperation in his eyes.

"Will, I love you. I will always love you. Please know that."

"I love you, too, baby," he choked.

"You take care of Georgie and the boy. Make them okay, okay?"

He nodded, his body starting to shake with emotion. Jack returned with the stretcher and he and Manny lifted Elizabeth onto it. William suddenly jumped up and scrabbled around the floor, looking for something. As the men lifted the stretcher he yelled for them to wait. He stood next to Elizabeth and pressed the cameo into her palm, closing her fingers around it.

"I'm letting the chips fall, princess."

She clutched the locket to her chest as they took her away. William stood outside the stable, watching the chopper lift off and disappear into the night sky. And he continued to look up, as the rain came down.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter 12**

It took several months for Petra and the boys to determine the extent of Ambassador Solenksy's involvement with Yushenkov. As Elizabeth convalesced in a high security military medical facility, she told them all she had learned and handed over the items Jack had taken off the assailants at Pemberley at Christmas time. They were KGB pins, helping link the attacks at Pemberley to the Braska incident, just more proof added to the already large body of evidence showing that Solensky was hiring former KGB operatives to help him keep capitalism from Russian soil. And the majority of the money pouring in to fund Solenksy's endeavors came from Yushenkov. After hours of surveillance and tracking, fact checking and cross-referencing, it became apparent that Solensky had been interfering with any capitalistic venture that crossed his desk for the past ten years. In the recent past it seemed he had become more desperate to stop the flow of American dollars into the strapped Russian economy, hoping to push the country back toward a Communist state. Several smaller companies having dealt with Solensky had lost their representatives to mysterious "accidents". Petra took all of this up her chain of command and an elaborate web was woven in hopes of catching Solensky before anyone else had to die. Finally, as Solensky got more and more reckless and more and more secure in his diplomatic immunity, he was caught red-handed trying to assassinate the CEO of a major steel manufacturing company.

During this period, William was adrift in a sea of joy and pain. Half his time was spent with Georgiana and Christopher, while the other half was consumed with finding Elizabeth, thus leaving no time for work. Due to Solensky's interference, the company had not been able to pull off the Russian expansion and had lost millions in the process, and with William completely enmeshed in personal trials, Richard sought out another family member to help get the company back on track. His younger brother, Andy, who had been teaching at MIT, was called in to take the helm while William was indisposed. Andy was a genius with numbers, and he was soon able to set everything right, finding ways to expand the company elsewhere and recoup the money lost on the Russian venture. Andy would call William weekly to update him on the company's progress, and William began to rely on him heavily.

Georgiana and Christopher were pulling through remarkably well. Georgiana's initial shock and heartbreak at learning that her husband had not been anything she had thought him to be was subsiding and being replaced with a new found confidence and strength that she drew from being back home and surrounded by the love of her family. Christopher was also coming out of his shell, and had firmly bonded with William and Richard. After some much needed healing time, Richard and William sat down to discuss what should be done in regards to Christopher and his inheritance.

"He's a kind, good natured boy, Will."

"He is, very much like his mother, thank the good Lord."

"Have you given any thought about his future?"

"I have. There was a time when I would have tried to stick to Wickham, even if it meant destroying his son. I hated him so much for what he did to Georgie. But I can't now, Richard. That boy is sweet and dear, and if I treat him as anything less than my nephew and the rightful heir to my place in the family, I will be making another George Wickham out of him."

"I don't know that we have to look at it so drastically. Your son will be first in line, obviously."

William answered that with a dark look.

"Some day you are going to need to move on, Will. Lizzy wouldn't have wanted you to just give up on life."

William looked hard at Richard, as if trying to reach into his mind.

"You swear to me that you don't know where she is?"

"I swear on Grandmother's grave I don't know where she is. Petra won't tell me because she knows that you could get it out of me."

William ground his teeth in frustration. All of his attempts at finding Elizabeth had ended in failure. He was running out of hope, but he seemed to have an endless supply of depression on the matter. As he saw it, only Petra could ease his suffering, and she was cruelly holding on to the only thing in the world that could make him whole, though he couldn't be mad at her because he knew she was doing it out of love for Elizabeth.

Richard saw William's mood turning black, so he swung the conversation back around to Christopher.

"So, have you made any arrangements to change your will?"

"Yes, I'm having it drawn up this week. We need to do right by that boy, give him a chance to be a good man and not hold the sins of his father against him."

Richard nodded and pulled an envelop from his pocket. He handed it to William, who opened it and smiled.

"So, you're finally going to do it."

"Yeah. With Solensky taken care of, and Wickham being deported next month for trial in Russia, she's going to retire. She told me that she wouldn't marry me until this was over and Lizzy was taken care of. I'd like you to be my best man, Will."

"I would be honored, Richard."

"Good. It will only be you, me, Petra and the preacher, on the beach in Fiji. I know Georgie has expressed a fear of traveling just yet, or I'd have her and Chris come, too."

"No, you're right. I can't even get her to go into the city. She needs a little more time."

"I'm glad your coming. It wouldn't be the same without you."

William clasped his cousin's hand warmly. Maybe the island sun would do him some good.

Elizabeth sat at the table of her small studio apartment, going through her mail. Not that there was much. A few bills, a little bit of junk mail, a plain envelope with no return address and no postmark. She laid everything else aside and studied the envelope. She recognized the handwriting as Petra's. She smiled as she opened it and read the card inside.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of

Richard Fitzwilliam and Petra Villanova

May 3rd at 3:00 p.m.

On the beach at the Adolphus Hotel

We love you, please be there

Tomorrow was May 3rd. She rushed to the window and looked down the street. She could see no signs of Petra or Richard, but she knew that one of them had hand delivered this dear piece of parchment. She would be there, wild horses could not keep her away.

A brilliantly clear sky and gorgeous weather presided over the marriage of Richard and Petra. It was a simple ceremony, just the two of them, the preacher and William. Elizabeth stood behind a pillar of the hotel veranda and watched as the two tied the knot. People milled around her, going about their business, yet she was unaware of anything but this connection to the life she once had. From her hiding place she could just make out Petra and part of Richard as he put the ring on her finger. She smiled as they kissed to seal the deal, and headed back toward the hotel, hand in hand. She pulled herself back behind the pillar. She couldn't risk talking to them, any number of people could be watching them at this very moment. So she pulled the flower from her hair and melted into the crowd, waiting for just the right time to slip flower to Petra to let her know she had been there.

The happy trio moved back toward the hotel to indulge in some post-wedding libation. As they reached the veranda, chatting happily, Petra felt someone bump her arm and something slip into her hand. She looked around quickly, hoping to catch sight of the offender. Richard and William noticed her sudden distraction and followed her gaze. And there she was. The curve of her hip, the color of her hair, the slope of her shoulder. William only saw flashes of her retreating form as she wove her way through the people, but he knew her. He took off at a run, pushing people aside as fast as he could, trying not to loose sight of her.

"William," Richard yelled after him.

Petra put her hand on Richard's arm and smiled. "Let him go."

He looked at her, incredulous.

"You did this?"

"Maybe."

"You're getting a soft spot, Petra."

She leaned in and kissed him. "Tell anyone and I'll kill you."

William lost sight of her for a second at the entrance of the hotel. His heart skipped a beat as he panned the street in desperate search for any sign of her. There she was, headed toward town. Good Lord, had everyone on the whole island decided to walk in this one street today? He tore off after her again, his large form cutting a swath through the horde of humanity.

Elizabeth stopped at a street vendor to buy some flowers. While she was paying the merchant she noticed a commotion out of the corner of her eye. A large man was pushing through the crowd of people, coming in her direction. She didn't know if he was after her or not, but she wasn't about to take any chances. She slipped away from the flower cart and picked up the pace toward home. If there had been a decent alley to duck into, she would have done it, but the few that were there were all dead ends and the last thing she wanted to do was get caught unarmed in an alley. She would run for home, and if he followed her all the way, she would at least have her gun ready when he got there. Up the stairs and through her apartment door, she threw her things on the table and rushed to a trunk under the window to find her gun. It had been so long since she had thought about that damn thing, she didn't even know if it was loaded. Good Lord, she had gotten soft. She dug through the trunk and found nothing. Where had she put it? She knew it had been there. She was frantic and unarmed as the door opened behind her and the large man stepped through.

"Stay back!"

The man was just inside the door, doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Slowly he raised his head and looked at her.

"Elizabeth."

A numbness crawled through her, taking away her ability to stand or speak, and she slowly slid to the floor. He stumbled across the room, his own legs tired from the extended run, and fell down before her. She reached out tentatively, touching his cheek, ensuring he was solid flesh and not the hallucination of an overactive imagination. He grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

"Hello, princess."

"Hello," she whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms around him and they melted into each other.

An hour later, William lay next to her sleeping form, running his hand down the curve of her naked back. For the first time in two years he was happy. He had been a zombie since she left, a pretender walking amongst the living. And now, he could feel the life breathed back into his soul. His eyes drifted across the room, taking in his surroundings. He smiled, noticing all the little touches that showed her personality. Finally she had a home of her own. His shirt, laying on a chair near the bed, caught his eye. A small corner of paper was sticking out from the front pocket. Petra's letter, he had forgotten about it. She had given it to him before the wedding and told him not to open it until later. Slipping from the bed he retrieved the note and sat on the chair to read it.

William,

By now you have seen her. So I present you with a choice. You can go back to your usual life with the knowledge that she is alive and well, but there can be no more contact between you. She will be relocated and you will return home as expected. Or, you can leave your billions of dollars and prestige and stay with her. I have the press release in my possession detailing your "death". Andy is more than ready to take over the business, and Richard and I will take care of Georgie and Christopher. All I need is a word from you and everything will be taken care of.

I know you are right now thinking of a way around this, William. Some way you can bring her home. You can't. She will never be safe while she is with a man who is so much in the public eye. This is the only way, and it sucks, I know. But I've never given anyone the easy way out, and I'm not about to start with you. If you want to be with her it is going to require a sacrifice on your part. God knows she's sacrificed for you.

I will wait until 7:00 p.m. for your call.

What's it going to be William? Love or money.

Petra

He held the letter in his hand, letting the words settle in his mind. Once again he had been given a life altering ultimatum. His discussion with Mrs. Reynolds two years ago came back to him. She had admonished him to remember his duty to his family and she had feared that Elizabeth had come to take him away. How could he have known that her insight would have proved to be so accurate? He had a duty to his bloodline, to Georgie and Christopher, to the company. Could he turn his back on that responsibility? Could he be so self serving as to leave it all behind just to be with Elizabeth? He looked back at her sleeping form and saw her as more than a beautiful temptation. She was the other half of his soul. He ran his hands through his hair as he warred with himself.

Richard lay on the bed, watching his new wife walk toward him from the bathroom, naked. God, he loved her, everything about her. It was so like her not to tease him with sexy lingerie, but to hit him full-force with the beauty of her naked body. He grabbed her as she reached the edge of the bed, and pulled her to him, burning her with his kisses. It was then that her cell phone rang, and they both froze for an instant. She reached over to the nightstand and grabbed it, checking the Caller ID. She looked at him and nodded.

"Hello?"

"Petra."

"William."

She listened to the other end as Richard watched her face, hoping for a sign. She was silent for a moment then hung up and looked at her husband, her face breaking into a huge smile.

"He chooses love."

The End


End file.
